


Once upon a time

by Seven_Oomen



Series: Stories of Beacon Hills [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison Argent is a Hale, Alpha Peter Hale, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkward Romance, Beta Jordan Parrish, Betas are non binary, Bisexual Chris Argent, Bisexual Sheriff Stilinski, Blood and Torture, Canon Compliant, Chris Argent is Bad at Feelings, Consensual Underage Sex, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Consent, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Humor, Gerard Argent's A+ parenting, Idiots in Love, Jackson Whittemore is a Hale, Knotting, M/M, Melissa is so sick of her friends pining, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Omega Chris Argent, Omega Sheriff Stilinski, One Big Happy Family, Peter Hale is Jackson Whittemore's Parent, Peter Hale is Stiles Stilinski's Parent, Peter Hale is a Little Shit, Peter Hale is a Softie, Polyamory, Post Mpreg, Psychological Torture, Sheriff Stilinski Knows About Werewolves, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is Noah, Slow Burn, Stiles Stilinski is a Hale, Trans bodies are the norm in this universe, Warning: Gerard Argent, Warning: Kate Argent, druid sheriff stilinksi, except for kate and gerard because fuck them, goes downhill fast as the season progresses, jackson and allison are twins, malia tate and stiles stilinski are twins, somewhat i am bending some canon, sweet and slow at first, tale as old as time burn as slow as fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 99,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seven_Oomen/pseuds/Seven_Oomen
Summary: Having one soulmate is a blessing, having two is cosmic.Chris Argent left town seventeen years ago under the threat of his family, only returning briefly eleven years later for a funeral. When he left again he couldn't have foreseen the circumstances that led to the Hale fire and yet, he blames himself for it. So when he finally returns with his three pups in tow, he has to navigate a barrage of emotions, old friends and lovers, and murders being committed in the town where it all began.
Relationships: Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Chris Argent/Peter Hale/Sheriff Stilinski, Chris Argent/Sheriff Stilinski, Peter Hale/Sheriff Stilinski
Series: Stories of Beacon Hills [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032630
Comments: 188
Kudos: 277





	1. So it Begins

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to write the most self-indulgent little teen wolf fic I could think of for this year's Camp Nano. And I also decided to share, it'll be updated when I finish the chapters although I'm not sure how many I'll write. For now, I picked 15 but might be more or less, idk. The most important warnings are the ABO and Mpreg warnings as well as sexual content, violence, torture, and Gerard and Kate in general. This fic WILL get dark, even if it doesn't seem that way right now. You've been warned.

He slowly drove up the street, sparing a glance to his daughter next to him as she stared out the window and watched the neighborhood roll by with a pout. He sighed softly, "Sweetheart, I know it's one more move but it's the last one."

Allison didn't even look at him but her shoulders tensed. "That's what you said the last time, dad."

“And the time before that,” Jax replied from his spot on the backseat. 

“We’ve heard it all a million times, dad. So just stop lying.” She sounded so defeated, so tired. It broke his heart into a million little pieces. 

He never wanted this for any of his children, the constant moving and the insecurities of never having a group of friends. But in his family business, that was a necessary evil he couldn’t get rid of. At least, not until a few weeks ago.

“I’m not trying to. I-” He sighed, running a hand through his short blond hair. It had gotten grey at the temples over the years but it was still golden for the most part. “I’ve found a new line of work, one I can do from home. So I honestly believe this is the last time.”

Silence settled over them. The only sound coming from the humming car and the occasional sounds from Beacon hills many residents. 

Being back here was strange, the last time he’d visited had been because of Claudia’s funeral and to support Noah through dark times. That was six years ago. Before the fire. Before Peter-

He shook his head in an attempt to shake the dark memories. Taking a quick peek in the rear-view mirror to see how Jackson and Ben were holding up. Jackson was staring out the window, copying his twin sister by pouting at the passing cars and houses. He couldn’t blame them, it wasn’t their first rodeo moving around, after all. Ben, however, looked around in interest. Clutching his little stuffed wolf closer as they passed the road to the preserve and took a left into a newer neighborhood in town. Recently build to grow the city with its growing number of residents, it was a clean neighborhood with a small supermarket of its own and a little park next to the new public elementary school Ben could go to. 

Ben would start kindergarten there tomorrow while Jackson and Allison would start their Junior year at the high school on the other side of town. It would be the perfect place to hide from his family, the perfect place to get out. Nobody would predict that he’d go back to the one place where everything had gone to shits.

He pulled up in front of a two-story, five-bedroom brick house with a gray tile roof and white trims and a small half circle driveway. A big moving truck was already waiting on the driveway and a few workers were already loading the new furniture into the house. 

Parking the red Chevy Tahoe behind the truck, he got out and walked over to the foreman. “How’s everything going?”

The short, plump man turned towards him. His bristling mustache twitching with his nose as he spoke. It kinda reminded him of those Mario brother figures in Jackson’s video games. “Nearly done, really. Just gotta haul them beds and desks up the stairs and finish some tweaks on the appliances. Prolly gonna need another two hours. Them garage, the living room, the study, and the bathrooms are completely done though. So you and them kids can wait in the living room while we finish up.”

“Thank you.” He nodded politely and walked back to the Tahoe were Jackson and Allison had already gotten out. Jackson had already busied himself with getting Ben out of his car seat and was holding the nearly six-year-old on his hip. 

“So?” The teenager asked. 

“They’re gonna need another two hours to finish up.” Chris said, trying not to comment on the way Allison rolled her eyes or Jackson scowled at him. “So we can either wait in the living room or-” He paused, smiling at the three lights in his life, “Or we can explore our new neighborhood a little.”

The kids perked up at those words, clearly far more interested in exploring than just waiting around. “I wanna see my school, papa!” Ben grinned, his blue eyes practically radiating mischief.

“Yeah, it’d be cool to explore, find out what this neighborhood’s about.” Jackson’s smile was smile, but it was there and that was enough to know he was excited about it.

“I mean, it beats sitting in the living room and waiting-” Allison added, “Sides it could be fun, find out what the town is like before we have to leave again…”

“Ali-” He sighed softly but didn’t comment further as his daughter had already moved on to the end of the driveway.

“Come on, what are you waiting for?!” She grinned and walked on. Jackson handed Ben to him and followed Allison, coming up next to his twin. He followed behind them, after talking to the foreman, walking with Ben on his hip. 

“You got a hold of Rabbit, bud?” He asked his five-year-old son, who dutifully held up the stuffed wolf in response.

“I have Rabbit, papa. He’s exploring with us. Awoo!” Ben howled like a wolf, the sound childlike and high, and grinned at him. “Let’s go!”

Chris couldn’t help but grin in return and pressed a kiss to Ben’s cheek as he followed his two teenagers down the road.

“Guys, let’s go left at the intersection.” He called out, knowing the park and Ben’s elementary school were right around the corner. It’s why he picked this house so he could keep his youngest son close by in case anything went wrong.

“Hey, is that my school?” Ben perked up at the sight of the public elementary school and bounced in his arms. 

“It is bud. That’s where you’re going tomorrow.” 

Ben grinned back at him and wrapped his arms around his neck in a hug. “I’m gonna make a friend tomorrow.” The boy murmured into his neck. “My first friend.”

His heart constricted a little more at those words. Knowing that up until now he’d sheltered his youngest son so much that he hadn’t had a chance at a normal life. He hadn’t been able to go to preschool or kindergarten and thus make some friends his own age. But that would start changing tomorrow. Everything would change now that they were back in Beacon Hills. 

“Yeah,” Chris said, “You’re gonna make lots of friends, bud. And so are your brother and sister.” He smiled and nuzzled Ben’s cheek, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. “You still got Rabbit?” 

“uhuh, I’ve got him here papa.”

“Good. Let’s catch up to the wonder-twins, I see they’re already at the playground.” Chris pointed out to where Jackson and Allison were hanging out near the monkey bars. 

“Yeah, I wanna play!” Ben wriggled in his arms. He reluctantly put the young child down and jogged after him as Ben ran across the street and climbed onto the nearest monkey bar. “Jackson, hold Rabbit for me.”

“Sure thing, Bennie-boo.” His oldest son easily replied, taking the stuffed wolf from his younger sibling he took a step back as Allison guided Ben over the monkey bars.

“Alright Bennie, think you can beat me to the other side?” Allison grinned up at her youngest brother and playfully skipped a few steps ahead. 

“Watch me!” Ben yelled back, climbing nimbly on the bars, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he moved. Allison skipped slowly next to him like she was playing hopscotch. Though Jackson and Chris could see she was trying her best to go slow and let Ben win.

It brought a smile to his face and warmed him from the inside out as he watched his oldest and youngest being so carefree and happy for once. A quick glance to the side only intensified that feeling of love and happiness as he noticed Jackson cheering on his siblings, smiling more brightly as the younger man started speaking in funny little voices to imitate Rabbit cheering as well. 

“Go Ben, you got her!” “Nooooo, Alli come on, you can beat him!” “Go Ben, go Ben!”

His perfect little family, his perfect pups.

The cheering ended with a groan from Jackson and a cheer from ‘Rabbit’ as Ben won their little competition and ran circles around Allison while giggling. “Again, again.”

“Okay one more time!” Allison said, grinning as she helped Ben back on the monkey bars and got back into her starting position. 

They ran their little ‘race’ again, which Ben won again. Naturally.

“Alright, how about we keep moving and explore the rest?” He held out his left hand so Ben could take it and gently guided both teenagers along. Allison tucked herself against his right side so he could drape an arm over his little girl. Jackson took Ben’s other hand and held Rabbit in his left hand as they walked on. 

“But I wanted to play more-” Ben whined softly, but the little boy did dutifully follow his father and siblings. Ben really didn’t have it in him to cause much trouble. Surprisingly, considering the twins caused a lot of trouble and their sire was a troublemaker first class. But Ben, Ben was a sweetheart, his little angel. Though at times the five-year-old did question his decisions, he always followed where his papa went or told him to go.

“We’ll play more at home.” Allison said quickly, always the tactical one, his little girl.

“Me and Rabbit will join too.” Jackson added, winking at the five-year-old as if he was sharing a special little secret with him.

Ben seemed to consider it for a moment or two. “Okay, but I want ice cream papa.”

At that, he let out a laugh. It was such a Peter thing to say, with such innocence in those bright blue eyes that he couldn’t help but laugh and agree immediately. “Deal. We’ll get ice cream at the grocery store.”

“Hell yeah.” Jackson grinned down at Ben and they walked on with a bit of a skip in their steps.

A strange feeling washed over him as they walked like someone was watching them. His senses didn’t pick anything up visually nor did they hear anything, it was just this feeling he had. Like someone was watching his back and his interactions with his children. 

It kept him slightly on edge but not enough to turn around and return home. He had made a promise to his children, one that involved ice cream and his kids were very serious about their ice cream treats. He had to honor it now. As long as this feeling stayed a feeling, he didn’t see any direct harm in it.

“Alright, we’ll go grab some ice cream from the store, explore the other end of the park and by then I reckon the two hours should be up.” 

Allison grinned at him before resuming her quick scan of the neighborhood around them. “It’s rather beautiful and peaceful here, I guess.” 

“Yeah definitely quieter than San Fransisco,” Jackson said.

If only they knew…

“I like it,” Ben said, running a few steps and then letting Chris and Jackson pick him up and swing him back and forth a bit.

“Because it has monkey bars?” Jackson raised an eyebrow at his little brother.

Ben responded with a pout, “Yeah…”

“I think that’s a good reason, Bennie-boo.” Allison quickly defended her youngest sibling, to which Jackson responded by pulling faces at her.

“Jerk.” She bit back.

“Alright, can it, you two.” Chris intervened before the twins could get into their usual bickering. “Let’s just have some fun together on our first day in Beacon Hills. Okay?”

A chorus of; “Yes papa” followed.

The walk to the small grocery store was only about ten minutes which gave him a chance to survey his surroundings and the neighborhood further. It was just as he’d predicted, well defendable, quiet, with good families. A place where he could settle down with his rambunctious pups, where his family wouldn’t come looking for them. Hopefully.

They walked up to the store, his eye scanning all the cars in the lot for potential trouble. A sheriff’s cruiser was parked up front, close to the storefront. Most likely for a break while on duty. They might have had a call in the vicinity or a simple patrol. It was noteworthy, but not directly alarming. Still, he was on guard as they entered the store.

“Ice cream!” Ben suddenly took off towards the back of the store where the freezers seemed to be located.

He immediately ran after the five-year-old, the twins right on his heels as they ran through the small store. “Ben!”

His heart thundered in his chest as he quickly rounded the corner, anything to keep his eye on his little pup. He couldn’t lose him, couldn’t lose his little boy. He had to stay with him-

He smacked into someone with a dull thud, out of the corner of his eye he noticed something fly up and only through quick reflexes did he manage to catch it before it hit the ground. The stranger had grabbed hold of him and stared at him, transfixed. “Chris?”

He knew that voice… he turned his head and looked into blue-gray eyes that he hadn’t seen in six years. “Noah?” 

He didn’t even notice he was whispering or that he was squeezing the beef sandwich he’d caught as he looked into the eyes of a man he’d loved once. Truth be told he still did. Just as he still loved Peter, even after all these years.

“Pop did you-” He heard Jackson come to a halt behind him. His voice was hesitant and confused. “Eh, pop… I think it’s illegal to grab the sheriff like that.”

Allison came down on the other side of the aisle and managed to grab Ben in the meantime. “Gotcha!” She seemed to notice his predicament in the short moment that followed and cleared her throat. “Do you two need some privacy?”

He then noticed that he’d grabbed Noah by belt somewhere near the man’s crotch in order to steady himself and quickly let go. Noah returned the favor by quickly releasing him as well. “I’m- I’m sorry, uh-” He then noticed the name-tag on the uniform. A sheriff’s uniform. He felt his ears turn red and a blush creeping on his cheeks. “Sheriff Stilinski.”

“Chris- I-” The sheriff then seemed to notice and shook himself out of his dazed stupor. “That’s alright. It happens, just don’t turn it into a habit.” 

Noah chuckled softly, “What are you doing back in Beacon Hills?”

It had been so long since he last saw him, so long since he’d buried his nose into Noah’s scent gland and held him as he cried. So long since they kissed and shared a love between Omegas that was practically unheard of. Six years since the last time they’d been this close.

“I moved back here to raise my kids.” He answered softly, eyes flicking towards Allison, Ben, and Jackson respectively. Noah’s eyes followed his gaze. 

“These are…”

“Yes,” He sounded breathless, even to himself. “That’s my daughter Allison and my youngest son Ben, and this is Jackson, Allison’s twin.”

“Sup?” Jackson nodded on queue, causing Allison to smile despite the awkward situation. 

Noah chuckled and shook his head. “He’s just like-”

“A pain in my ass? Yeah, but he’s my pain in the ass.” Chris answered, looking over his shoulder at his son. He was a lot like Peter, actually. Not that he’d ever told Jax that.

Noah gave him a soft smile, nodding. “I have one of those as well, actually.” The sheriff ran a hand through his graying hair. “It’s good to see you again, Chris.” 

“Good to see you as well.” The corners of his lips curled up just a little. He glanced at Allison who was making rather encouraging gestures at him to keep the sheriff talking. Probably got a real kick out of seeing him so insecure, the little brat. He focused back on Noah. “So you’re on patrol?” 

Noah chuckled and straightened his belt. “Mrs. Calchuck moved to this neighborhood about a month ago. This is my third call about gnomes wrecking her garden.” 

He laughed softly, fondly remembering how they’d once started the gnome prank eighteen years ago. Mrs. Calchuck had been a widower in her early fifties at that point and she was a bitch to deal with. His kids would her a ‘Karen’, he personally preferred the term bitch. 

It seemed that some youngsters were still keeping the tradition alive by messing with the gnomes in her garden. Just as Peter, Noah and Chris himself had done all those years back. “That’s still a thing?” 

Noah laughed. “Absolutely. I heard Stiles say they have a betting pool on who can get her to finally snap.” 

He shook his head at that. “I’m surprised that you’re taking the call.” 

“I might feel a little bit of responsibility,” Noah shrugged, “And it’s a quiet day.” 

He finally looked at the squashed sandwich in his hand and sighed. “So you decided to grab some lunch before you visited her and my spawn and I might have ruined that.” 

His kids protested with a soft ‘hey’ while Noah laughed. “Just a little,” The sheriff turned around and gave Ben a wink, “I’m sure I’ll survive.” 

“We should buy you a new sandwich.” Allison offered before he could, he wasn’t sure what she was up to but the little twinkle in her eye was quite suspicious. 

“Right dad?” 

“Right…” He narrowed his eyes at her and focused back on Noah. “If you don’t mind.” 

Noah’s smile was nothing short of breathtaking. “Free lunch with good company? Count me in.”

“But papa you promised!” Ben whined, pulling him away from that gorgeous smile to look at his youngest son.

“You’ll still get ice cream, mister. Even though you really shouldn’t because you ran off.” Chris shot the five-year-old a pointed look. He received an absolutely crestfallen expression in return and he immediately felt like the greatest monster on the planet.

“I’m sorry, papa…” Ben’s tiny little voice sniffled.

Shit. That kid had him so wrapped around his little finger that he’d instantly forgive the kid for anything. Ben could commit murder and then look at him like that and he’d clean up the body for him. He sighed. “Alright- let’s go find ice cream for you rascals and a sandwich for the sheriff. Come on.” 

He waved the kids ahead, eyes locking on to Allison’s for a brief second. _Watch your brother._ She gave a tiny nod in acknowledgment.

Jackson walked past them with a slight nod to Noah and a shit-eating grin towards him that clearly said; _Well damn pops, you know how to pick them._

Noah’s smile was knowing and it irritated him just a little. “I know. Just like him.”

“I was actually going to say, just like you.” The sheriff chuckled.

The kids picked out a box of magnum ice creams with chocolate and caramel. Which he instantly regretted buying because these kids on a sugar high were going to absolute hell. And he bought another beef sandwich with lettuce and cucumber and a Dr. Pepper for Noah. As well as a pack of baby wipes. 

“Don’t tell Stiles. He’d have an aneurysm if he learned I had a soda.” The sheriff looked rather pleased with his lunch as they all sat outside on the little wall just outside the store.

“Why?” Ben asked, his face already covered in chocolate, caramel, and cream from his ice cream.

“You got like, a medical condition?” Jackson asked, nimbly biting off little pieces of chocolate to get to the sweet caramel in the middle layer.

Noah grumbled softly, “I might have some elevated cholesterol…”

Allison chuckled, licking her lips to get some of the caramel and cream off. “And your son Stiles is trying to watch out for you?”

The sheriff seemed to consider his answer for a moment, slowly moving his body from left to right before finally sighing. “He is. It’s just- He’s trying. Ever since Claudia, he- well. I’m the only one he has left. Well I mean, aside from Malia. His twin.”

That seemed to gain the attention of the twins. “Huh.” Allison shared a look with Jackson.

“So- you and dad, you were pregnant around the same time. Both with twins? And you’re close?” Jackson bit off a piece of his ice cream and studied the sheriff for a minute.

Noah stared at Jackson for a second before turning to look back at him, as if to say; _So he’s smart too…_ He merely shrugged in response. 

“I didn’t say how old Malia and Stiles were.”

“No- but your look just did.” Jackson bit off another piece of his ice cream and actually chewed. If he weren’t so appalled he’d have been impressed by his son's sheer psychopathy in that moment. Jesus he’d given birth to a mini-Peter. And judging by the look Noah sent him, he knew it too.

“You’re far too smart for your own good.” Noah replied.

Allison laughed in response. “Oh… he wished.” 

To which Ben started giggling as well. The little pup was covered in chocolate, caramel, and cream at this point and he thanked his lucky stars that he’d bought the baby wipes. Clean up was going to be so much easier.

“So I’ve been told. But you didn’t answer.”

Noah shook his head and shot him another look. “Yes. Yes, they are your age and yes, your father and I were pregnant around the same time and we knew each other from High School.”

The wheels in Jackson’s and Allison’s heads seemed to be turning at that, judging by their puzzled expressions. 

“So, you’re both Omegas and therefore, you couldn’t have sired one another’s pups but was there something-” Jackson said.

“Alright, that’s enough!” He quickly interrupted his son before things could go way more south or become far more awkward. 

“I’m just making conversation…” The way Jackson looked at him, however, told him that he’d smelled a new thing to discover and he wouldn’t stop until he had all the answers.

“Sure you are…” He gave his son a look that clearly told him to stuff it. He turned to Noah, “I’m so sorry about that.”

Noah merely laughed though. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse from my spawn.”

“I’m sure you have…” The two shared a laugh and for a moment it felt just like they were teenagers again. 

“I don’t know if you’d feel up to it, but, we just moved here-”

“And you want to do a housewarming dinner?” Noah smoothly finished for him.

He grinned, “I do. Yes. And I’d like to invite you and your kids so that our hell-spawn can gossip about us.”

“Hey!” His kids protested lightly, but he could see all of them smiling at the current turn of events.

“We’d be delighted to.”

“Friday at 7, my place on Beacon Street 236?” He couldn’t help but blush a little as Noah smiled at him like that. 

“We’ll be there.” Noah finished the last few bites of his sandwich and slowly got up to stretch. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He spared a glance at his kids, who were all pretending to be grossly interested in their ice cream. “So am I.”

Noah reached down into his pocket and pulled out a few cards where he quickly scribbled a few numbers onto. “Here’s my number, and I think you should give Melissa a call as well. Visit him too.”

He took the cards and stared at the phone numbers given to him before nodding. “Alright. I’ll call her.” Some police chatter sounded through Noah’s scanner at that moment. “And that’s your cue, I think.”

“So it is.” Noah nodded, smiling at the kids before turning back to him. “Friday at 7, your place.”

“Friday.” He agreed as he watched the sheriff get in his car and drive off.


	2. Settling in

They walked back towards the park once they finished their ice creams and had gotten all cleaned up. Thank god for baby wipes and his moment of clarity to buy them.

“So you and the sheriff?” He hated the way Jackson looked at him, calculating and full of mischief. He could tell Jax was up to something and he wasn’t sure how much he was going to like it.

“When I knew him he was a deputy and my best friend in high school before that.” He answered, shrugging lightly before swinging Ben back and forth for a bit.

“But you were close? Like together?”

He sighed and slowly let go of Ben’s hand as they reached the park to let him play near the fountain. Unsure of what he should really tell his son. He couldn’t tell him the full truth. About who they were, where they came from. It would put an indefinite target on Jackson’s back, on all of their backs really. And yet-

“Dad?” 

He slowly wrapped an arm around Jackson’s shoulders and pulled him in while watching Allison and Ben play on the fountain. “It doesn’t matter. Who we were and what we did. A lot of time has passed and we moved on.”

Jackson’s shoulder stiffened just a little and he bit his lip. “What are you not telling me?”

Chris pressed a kiss to Jackson’s temple and gave him his best reassuring smile. “I’ll tell you when the time is right. Alright?” 

Jackson’s brows drew together but the teenager nodded at him anyway and hesitantly joined his siblings at the fountain. 

He felt a pang in his chest at having to hide the truth from his children but he honestly didn’t want to drag them into his world before they absolutely had to be included. Maybe he was postponing the inevitable but that was a risk he was willing to take if it meant his kids could retain their innocence for one more day.

-  
**Beacon Hills, 1992.**

What were they even doing here? He honestly couldn’t understand why they had left Sacramento for this hillbilly town in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t like Sacramento didn’t have more shifters and other creatures to hunt or ran out of innocents to protect. But nah, according to his father this thing called a Nemeton and the converge of Ley lines made this place extra special for druids, supernaturals, and consequently, hunters. And so they’d gone off to Beacon Hills, leaving their current life behind just as they started settling there.

Beacon Hills High School was a jumbled and confusing mess that he couldn’t seem to get used to no matter how hard he tried. And he had tried, fuck had he tried. But fate wasn’t on his side. 

On his first day he smacked into another student and send them sprawling to the floor. 

“Shit.” He quickly gathered both of their books and extended a hand towards the young man he’d walked into. “I’m so sorry-”

The young man merely dusted himself off and chuckled softly. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”

“No, it’s not.” He murmured in return as he helped him up and handed the other boy his books back. He froze as their eyes met.

The other teenager seemed to be around his age and height, though he was far more lanky and didn’t pack much muscle just yet. He had blond air and the brightest blue-gray eyes Chris had ever seen. “It’s Noah, by the way. Noah Stilinski.”

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he realized he was still holding onto Noah’s hand and shook it. “Chris. Chris Argent.” 

For a brief moment, he could’ve sworn Noah recognized his name. But if he did, the other boy didn’t make it very obvious and kept quiet. “Pleasure to meet you.”

On the second day of high school, he’d gone with Noah to the field and they’d done their homework on the bleachers in between classes. He’d have gotten a basketball to the face if it hadn’t been for his hunter reflexes. 

“Nice catch!” A voice came from the field and slowly but surely a young man came walking up to them. He was around their age and had short brown hair and the bluest eyes he’d seen on anyone. In a way it was like meeting Noah all over again, something about this boy called to him. He just didn’t know what.

“Thanks. Someone had to save that throw.” He returned the ball with a well-aimed throw and turned his gaze back to his homework and tried to ignore Noah’s kick to his shin. 

“Hey Peter,” Noah chuckled softly, only briefly keeping Peter’s gaze before tucking a stray hair behind his ear. Weird.

Chris looked back at Peter and raised an eyebrow at the other boy when he noticed Peter was staring at him. “You need anything?”

Peter studied him for a moment before smiling at him in a way that made his knees weak and caused him to blush. “Just your name.”

“It’s Chris.” He quickly focused back on the paper in front of him but couldn’t make out any words on it.

“Peter, Peter Hale.”

That brought his attention fully onto the other boy, no, the werewolf. He’d heard about the Hale pack from his father. “Chris Argent.” He whispered, keeping his eyes firmly fixed onto Peter’s.

Peter’s pupils widened but his smile grew into a genuine one. “I’ll be seeing you around, Chris Argent.”

“I’m sure you will…” The encounter with Peter Hale had left him a bit breathless, which he blamed on the young alpha’s pheromones getting into his system. It was a simple matter of biology really and not because he could drown into those blue eyes or that wonderful smile.

On the third day of High School, he’d gotten into a fight with one of the Alpha basketball players. Noah and him were just on their way to lunch when three members of the basketball team had cornered them in the hallway. 

“Hey beautiful, smile for me. You’re prettier when you smile.” 

Noah’s lip curled up in disgust and the fellow Omega shrank back just a little. His insecurity was short-lived as anger seemed to take over in those stormy eyes. He squared his shoulders a second later and faced the alpha head-on. “Just leave me alone and stop being a creep.”

Judging by the whistling, their little friends didn’t like that comment too much. “We’re just being friendly, Stilinski. I mean everyone around here knows you already smile and get on your knees for Hale. We just want in on the fun.”

“You must be really desperate to get your dick wet to harass random students in the hallway. What’s the matter, your girlfriend not putting out, Jones?”

Chris couldn’t help but stare at Noah in awe. He hadn’t known him for a long time but he seemed rather shy and just a little sassy at times. This was a whole new side of Noah and he rather liked it, sassy as hell and not afraid to call people out on their bullshit. Though he did file the info of Noah and Peter away as; useful for later.

“You little shit…” Jones took a step towards them and for a moment he could’ve sworn Noah’s eyes glowed purple for the briefest of moments. Was Noah a supernatural? Was he a shifter? No, most shifter’s eyes were blue, yellow or red. He hadn’t seen purple on anyone, hadn’t read about it either in the bestiary. 

He heard someone walk up to them and both Jones and himself briefly looked up to see Peter Hale standing a few feet away whilst munching on an apple. “Don’t mind me, I’m just here for the fireworks.”

Really?

His face must have betrayed his annoyance because that little shit-head had the audacity to wink and smile at him. Alphas…

“Must be hard, knowing that your girlfriend just dates you because you’re the captain of the basketball team and that makes her look good.” Noah’s voice had an icy tone to it and for a moment he wondered why the Omega was always hunching over and acting all shy. It certainly wasn’t like he didn’t have the guts to stand up for himself. Was it an act? A way to prevent people from paying attention to him. That seemed plausible right now, to him at least. That sly little-

Jones, however, wasn’t so charmed with Noah’s switch in disposition. “I’m going to make you kneel, Stilinski, and feed you your teeth.”

He threw his arm up to block Jones’s punch. Noah looked at him with wide eyes and even Peter had lowered the goddamn apple from his lips. Bastard. It was the little quirk of Peter’s lips that threw him into his next action. He surged forward, kicking Jones right in the nuts, evading an elbow coming from his left and elbowing the guys nose in return with a satisfying crunch. From the corner of his eyes he spotted Noah taking down the third Alpha by punching him the crotch and shoving him against the nearest locker.

The way Hale smiled at them after made his heart stutter and his knees weak. And honestly, that terrified him more than any transformed werewolf he’d ever ran into. It was far too easy for Hale to corrupt him, far scarier was the realization that he would gladly let it happen, too.

Luck wasn’t on their side that day as a teacher had spotted them and taken them down to the principal's office. He’d never forget the look in his father’s eyes as he spoke to the principal and warned Talia Hale and Elias Stilinski to keep their families away from his son.

His father called him in sick for the fourth day of school.

On the fifth day of school, he showed up with a black eye, a split lip, and bruises on his left arm. 

“Jesus-” Noah was the first to corner him in the hallway on his way to homeroom at the start of the day.

“It’s nothing.” He couldn’t look at him. If he just kept his head down and his lips shut the other boy would eventually grow tired of the silence and he’d be left alone. At least, that was the plan. Noah clearly had other thoughts.

“It’s not nothing, Chris… Did your father-?”

“I fell down the stairs-” 

The way Noah looked at him said more than anything he could’ve said out loud. “Chris-”

“Just leave me alone, please.” He walked past the other boy and made his way down the hall, avoiding Peter’s knowing gaze as well as he walked past the alpha too. The last thing he heard them say brought tears to his eyes, one falling down his cheek. 

“I’m going to save him-”

“He might be beyond saving, Peter-”

“I don’t care. I will save him.”

“I’ll help.”  
-

**Beacon Hills, 2011 (Present day)**

Rustling leaves in the distance brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly scanned his surroundings for any sign of trouble. The only people he saw at the park were his own kids. Jackson and Allison had started a water fight and Ben was cheering them on from the sidelines waving Rabbit around in his enthusiasm.

Still…

“Kids, let’s head back. The house should be ready for us.” He gently gathered Ben into his arms and guided the soaked teenagers along. And as he took one last peek over his shoulder whilst crossing the street across the elementary school, he could’ve sworn he saw a familiar silhouette watching them from the fountain. 

By the time they arrived back at the house, the foreman and his men had finished up the house and had moved the truck off the driveway and parked it a bit further down the street. He thanked them for their time and herded his kids inside.

“Alli, Jax, you guys order pizzas or take out for dinner and get settled with your little brother. There’s something I need to check on.” He gently put Ben down on the couch and put on Nickelodeon for his youngest son to keep him busy. “And get changed into something dry!”

Allison looked at him confused at his sudden change in mood. “Why, where are you going?”

“My study. There’s just something I need to check on, that’s all.”

Jackson shared another look with his sister, something he seemed to be doing a lot today. Some days he’d swear on their ability to communicate purely through looks or perhaps even telepathy. “Like that’s not suspicious but sure,” Jackson said, “you want pizza or Chinese?”

He suppressed a sigh and merely pursed his lips. “Surprise me, I’ll be down in an hour or two.”

His study had been decorated and furnished to his exact specification as had the garage. The movers had done a good job of it, as he’d expected. He worked with them before and paid them rather handsomely for it. 

He went to his desk and pulled his laptop out of a secret compartment from under the tabletop and set it on the desk. Sat down in front of it and started pulling up old photos and current information on who he thought he’d seen at the fountain.

Leaning back, he stared at the words in front of him and tried to comprehend them with what he’d seen at the park today. He was sure, absolutely sure of who he’ seen but all the information in front of him told him that that was not a possibility.

_Hale, Peter._

_Current Location: Beacon Hills Crossing Home, long term care facility._

_Current condition: Comatose._

And yet-

He pulled up more old pictures, silhouettes, close-ups. The most recent ones from six years ago. From before the fire. It was the same silhouette from the park.

“My minds playing tricks on me.” He whispered into the quiet abyss of his office, burying his face in his hands with a deep sigh. He felt a lonely tear roll down his cheeks. 

“I just want you back. You and Noah.” He sobbed softly, shaking his head as he closed the laptop and wiped away his tears. He felt like there was a clamp on his heart and it was squeezing. Maybe he was seeing ghosts. Maybe he wanted something to be true so badly that he was seeing him everywhere. 

Seeing Noah must have sparked something inside of him, that little string that wanted its connection back. Having one soulmate was a blessing if you could be with them, having two was absolutely cosmic. Except, he couldn’t be with them. Not as long as his family was still around and he wasn’t about to betray family for his own happiness. He wouldn’t do it for himself. To protect his kids, sure, he’d betray anyone. But his own happiness comes last in line for his own priorities.

He took another deep breath, put the laptop back in its secret compartment and ran a hand through his already graying hair. Only thirty-four but already dealing with so much stress from his three rascals that he was going prematurely gray. It was worth it though, his kids were his everything.

A crash and the sound of a small child bawling pulled him from his thoughts. He gathered his composure and headed back downstairs.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.” Ben cried, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. A broken plate with some Chinese food on it was laying on the floor in front of him.

Jackson was standing near him, looking rather defeated at the broken plate. “Come on dude, I let you do one thing on your own…”

Allison was already walking up with some materials to clean everything up. 

“It’s alright, Ben. It’s just a plate and some food. We’ll get you a new plate. And Jax will check to make sure you’re not hurt… right, Jackson?” The look she send her brother was enough to make any man scramble.

“Right,” Jackson carefully picked Ben up and brought him over to sit on the counter next to the sink.

Both teenagers and Ben had their pajama’s on, so they’d listened for once and gotten dry and warm. They also followed his instructions to get dinner on time and had clearly settled for Chinese food. Which worked for him.

Jackson methodically checked Ben over, checking out his feet and legs first before checking his hands and arms. Only when the teenager was satisfied with his brother’s state did he step back and smile at the child. “All good, buddy. You’re not hurt?”

Ben shook his head no and sniffled. “No. I’m fine. I’m sorry, Jax.”

“It’s okay, it happens.” Jackson wrapped his arms around his brother’s shoulders and gave him a gentle hug, pressing a kiss to Ben’s temple.

It warmed his heart to see his pups taking care of one another. It gave him a bit of hope that they’d look out for one another even if their old man wasn’t around.

Allison looked up at him after she was done cleaning up the mess and cocked her head at him. “Are you okay, dad?”

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he stepped into the room, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

He smiled at his three rascals. “Let’s just eat shall we?”

That evening, after he put Ben to bed and the twins had gone up, he returned to his office and laid the two cards out on his desk. He stared at Melissa’s number for a good minute or two before his eyes drifted back to the secret compartment. If anyone could tell him about Peter and his condition, it would be her.

He turned off the lights and went to sleep for the night. It had been a long day. He’d call her in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we can all guess what's going to happen next. Meeting Melissa, visiting Peter, a Friday dinner. Oh my! And the first little whisps of a darkness coming.
> 
> Am I having a blast with this story? Yes, yes I am and I hope you all are too. Let me know if you are and what you think.


	3. Meeting the old and the new

Bagels and Beans was a tiny little coffee shop across the street from the hospital. It only held five tables and served both coffee and confectioneries as well as bagels and sandwiches. It wasn’t what he had in mind when he called Melissa to meet up but it was the only place she was willing to go to while on her break. And honestly, the place didn’t seem too shabby and was defendable from a tactical point of view. So he took it in stride and headed up once he’d gotten the kids out of the house and to school.

Ben had been easiest, the little guy merely grinned at him after he dropped him off and waved goodbye without looking back. “Bye Papa! See you at three!” And he’d been gone, ran inside without even waiting for a kiss or a hug. Truth be told it had stung but perhaps that’s what he needed, to finally get out a little and stand on his own legs.

Allison and Jackson had left before he’d gotten back from dropping Ben off, they’d taken their lunches and grabbed their new bikes and had gone off to school. He’d returned home to an empty house and it was a feeling he didn’t like whatsoever. He called Melissa not long after to set up the meeting.

After he’d finished his first arms deals for the day he’d headed out to meet her for lunch. And so he ended up at Bagels and Beans. He entered the tiny shop and walked towards a table at the far right. Melissa looked up, smiling brightly as he approached and wrapped her arms around him as he stopped in front of her. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Hey Mel, It’s good to see you too.” He sighed softly and held for a few seconds, burying his nose in her dark curls to breathe in her scent. “It’s been far too long.”

“Hell yes, it has!” She gently swatted his side. “Where have you been? What have you been doing? The last time I saw you- well, last time we buried Claudia…”

They stood in silence for a moment. “Yeah… It’s been six years.”

“Six years and three months, if memory serves me right.” Melissa seemed to study him for a moment. “And I heard you have a third child who’s- five?”

“Five and a half.” Chris answered, letting her do the math herself.

“Ah- so he is Peter’s?” 

He gave her a soft smile, “Noah talked?”

“Who else?” Melissa chuckled and sat down, gesturing to the chair opposite her, “Have a seat.”

He sat down, ordered a black coffee and a chicken sandwich for himself and a caramel macchiato and a salmon sandwich for Melissa. “You’re asking a lot of questions, Delgado.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Can you blame me? I haven’t seen you in six years and then you suddenly show up with an extra child and with absolutely no explanations.”

“That’s fair-” He looked down at his hands for a moment, frowning as he studied his nails in concentration. “I’ve just- I’ve been handling the family business.”

Recognition flickered in her eyes for the briefest of moments. “I see. And why couldn’t you-?”

He thought of his answer for a moment or two. “I had to make sure everything was in order and that he wouldn’t try to follow. I had to disappear before I could come back.”

She seemed confused by his answer, judging by the way she bit her lip and her eyes darkened just a little. “Why risk it? I mean Noah’s here, but, after the fire-”

He let out a shaky breath and looked around for a second before leaning in closer. “Because Ben takes after Peter. And if my father-” he looked away and shook his head.

But Melissa understood and slowly reached out to take his hand in hers. “Oh, Chris… and Jackson and Allison?”

He took a second to calm his mind and sit up a little. “They’re like me. They’re not- not like that. They’re like me.”

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, only looking up when their orders arrived. They thanked their waiter, tipped the good boy for his service and chuckled at Chris’s current predicament.

“So why did you come alone then? To Claudia’s funeral?” Melissa took a sip of her coffee and stared at him over the rim of the glass.

“They didn’t know her. We left town when Jax and Alli were just babies. And I couldn’t risk letting them know they had siblings or who their father was. They would’ve wanted to meet them, would’ve wanted to stay and my father would’ve loved to use that as an in.” He took a bite out of his sandwich and smiled sadly, “Not that it mattered in the end.”

Melissa gently put her glass down and looked back towards the hospital for a moment. “I guess it didn’t. I’m sorry, Chris.”

He chuckled, dark and somber but gave her a gentle smile nonetheless. “It’s alright, I get it. Everyone wants to know why and how.” He ran a hand through his hair and took a sip of his coffee, “How about you? How are Rafe and Scott?”

It was Melissa’s turn to avoid his gaze. “Rafe is out of the picture, actually. He left for San Fransisco after I finished nursing school.”

“I’m sorry. I know you tried to make things work…” He said, placing a hand over hers.

“It’s okay. We were all young and foolish, had kids way too early.” Melissa chuckled, “I mean we were barely out of high school when I had Scott and you and Noah each had twins. I mean, what were we thinking? It’s a miracle we all ended up the way we did. I’m a nurse, Noah’s the sheriff, and lord knows what kind of things you do these days. It could’ve been so much worse.”

He never really looked at it from that point of view. Things could have been a whole lot worse for him he supposed. He had a good job, three wonderful rascals and was financially independent. There were Omegas that were off far worse than him. “I suppose. What about Scott? How’s he doing?”

Melissa buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Don’t get me started…” She sighed, “Don’t get me wrong, I love that boy and he’s so sweet but lord- he’s not the brightest tool in the shed.”

He hid his smile in his coffee cup, though his eyes betrayed his merit. “Like Rafe then?”

“Absolutely,” Melissa sighed, “He’s so much like him and yet completely different. It’s honestly amazing at times. But I love that boy more than the waking world.” She smiled, full of love and warmth.

He returned her warm smile. “I can imagine. I’d do anything for my rascals.”

Melissa grinned at his words, tucking some strays hairs behind her ear before taking another sip of her coffee. “The things we put up with for our children.” She sighed softly and looked up at him. “I just- he was kinda quiet last night. I just hope he’s okay.”

He wanted to tell her Scott was probably going to be okay. After all, the boy was a teenager and teenage boys kinda went quiet around their parents at this age. Jackson certainly had his moments, although at other times he wished the kid would just shut up for five seconds. “He’s a teenage boy, Mel. That’s what they do. And when they’re not quiet or angry, they won’t shut up.”

She laughed at that. “Maybe. Maybe I’m just worried and you’re right.” She checked her watch and quickly finished the rest of her sandwich. “It does feel nice to be able to talk like this again. I really missed you, Chris.”

“I really missed you too, Mel. Feels good to clear my heart with someone who gets it.” It did and he hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed her. How much he had missed Beacon Hills. 

She looked touched at his words, cursing silently when her watch started bleeping. “Goddamn double shifts.”

He sighed but nodded slowly. “You gotta get back, I get it.”

“I have five minutes to get back.” She said, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her. “But do me a favor, Chris. Go see him. He’s in room 315 in the long term ward. You’re on the list.” She gave him a quick wink, ruffling his hair before she headed out.

“Just do it, Argent!”

He looked at her retreating back and sighed, giving a quick glare to his half-eaten sandwich. Somehow, he wasn’t that hungry anymore. Still, food was food. So he forced himself to eat it, finished his coffee and headed back out. 

Slowly but surely he walked across the street towards the hospital and took a left on the premises where he found himself walking towards the long care facility. He stopped near the sign and slowly released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

Was he ready for this? Could he ever be ready? He felt his heart pounding, his chest constricting with every step towards the door. But he pushed on, to the nurses' station, did his best to smile through introductions and polite chatter but he really couldn’t focus on it.

That little string in his chest vibrated with every step that he took towards room 315. It sang with hope and lamented in a way that made him want to carve out his own heart. He’d left and he hadn’t been there when Peter had needed him most. He almost whined at the pain that single thought brought.

Stepping into the room felt like stepping to his death, his chest throbbing like his heart had been stabbed a thousand times over. A soft sob died in his throat as he looked upon the half-burned body of his mate. One-third of his soul was laying catatonic in a bed and there was nothing he could do or say to make him better. He quickly closed the door behind him.

He felt a tear rolling down his cheek as he walked up to the bed and carefully sat down on it. He gently cupped the unburned side of Peter’s face with his hand and gently stroked his cheek with his thumb. The little string in his chest sang in despair, a feeling of pain and suffering so great that it restricted his breathing like there was a vice on his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Those vibrant blue eyes, once so full of life and hope stared at him, empty and cold. Like only a shred of life was even present in the broken and burnt body in front of him. “I know you can’t say anything. And I don’t know if you can hear me,” his words sounded broken and shaky like he couldn’t find his own voice, “But I’m sorry, Peter. God, I’m so sorry. I should have been here. I- I should’ve-”

He took a moment to let his grief out, to silently sob twice before collecting himself. “I should’ve come back, I should’ve-” He took a breather, shook his head and smiled sadly. “No, I wouldn’t have-” A dark chuckle escaped him, “ Because I had to protect our pups. God Peter, we got another one.”

He slowly let out a shaky breath. “Allison, Jackson,” He paused, “and Benjamin. They are sassy and full of trouble. Especially Jackson, he’s just so much like you.”

For a moment, he could’ve sworn he saw a flicker of recognition in those blue eyes. It had been fleeting and it wasn’t there when he gently turned Peter’s head to make eye contact. But it had been there. Or maybe that was just his own wish fulfillment getting the better of him. 

He smiled, wiped his eyes dry and gently took Peter’s unburned hand as he continued, “Allison looks like Talia, same dark hair and eyes. But she’s a lot like me. She’s got spitfire in her veins and righteousness in her bones.”

A chuckle escaped him, “And Jackson, I know the last time you saw him and Ali was when they were two months old, but he’s still a perfect mix of us. Though character-wise he’s a mini-you. Far too sassy and smart for his own good.” He laughed, breathless and soft at the memory, “Do you wanna know what he did when he met Noah yesterday?- He asked him about Stiles and Malia while _chewing_ ice cream… he _chewed_ it, Peter. _Chewed_ it. I almost wanted to congratulate him on becoming a psychopath. I didn’t, I wanted to.”

Maybe his mind was playing tricks but he swore he saw a sparkle of life in Peter’s blue eyes. And for now, he’d take it. He didn’t care how much his mind was messing him up, he needed to believe that Peter could wake up again. He needed to believe that Peter could hear him. He smiled, eyes full of tears once again. He took a moment to wipe them before continuing. 

“And then there’s Ben. Jesus Peter, it’s like staring at a carbon copy of you. The second he was born my father knew I’d seen you again. It didn’t matter, the fire- and you-” He sighed, “Dad promised me he wouldn’t hurt Ben as long as Ben was human-.” Another dark chuckle escaped him, “Guess who started showing signs three months ago…”

He looked down at Peter’s hand and gently traced the back of it with his fingers. “I don’t know how we did it but we genuinely created three good kids. Three smart, sweet, and strong kids. You’d be proud of them. I know I am.” He whispered, taking a moment to let it all sink in and look around the room for a moment.

It was barren, the only things in it were the bed, a chair near the window, a nightstand and a closet. Even that looked pretty empty to him. There were no flowers, no personal artifacts of Peter laying around. _Not even Peter’s remaining family had been checking in._

Chris slowly closed his eyes, his hand squeezing Peter’s just a little tighter. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t have to hide them. Would we have been with you that night? Or maybe you’d have been with us in a house of our own. Maybe the fire-”

It felt silly to even think about such things. To wonder what could’ve been, especially since he never really dwelled on such things anymore. His dream had been shattered once, he didn’t want to go through it again.

“Wishes are for children.” He sighed, smiling sadly at the man he once loved so deeply. Some things weren’t meant to last. “Do you-” 

Before he could finish his sentence the door opened and a red-haired nurse stepped into the room. Her gaze fixated on Peter. She seemed genuinely startled when she noticed him sitting on the bed next to him. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize he had a visitor.”

He smiled politely at the nurse, who’s name tag told him her name was Jennifer, a carefully constructed blank mask slipping back into his expression. “It’s alright, I was just leaving-”

“No, please!” She seemed a little jittery at those words, though she caught her composure quickly. “It’s just- he doesn’t get many visitors, you see, and I’m sure he’s very happy you’re here.”

He wasn’t sure what to think of her. Did she always act this strange or was she just genuinely startled by his presence? And why did she keep glancing back at Peter every time she spoke? He needed to look into her, that was for damn sure.

“I’d love to but I have somewhere to be. I’ll be back tomorrow though.” 

The corners of her lips twitched just a little before she spoke again. “Of course, I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries or disturb you.”

“You didn’t. It was time to go anyway.” He gave her a curt smile and focused his attention back to the broken man in the hospital bed, giving the back of his hand a gently rub with his thumb. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Peter. I promise.” 

He stood up then, nodded at the nurse and with one last look over his shoulder, he left the room. He looked up at the cameras in the hall first, wheels in his head turning to process what had just occurred. He had a lot to think about. 

He stopped by the nurses' station, making sure to sign off on his visit and quickly glanced at the other names on the clipboard. None had been by for Peter in the last week at least. He handed the clipboard back to the nurse manning the station and gave her a charming smile. “Is it alright if I come by a little later tomorrow? I have to run an errand first but I’d still like to see him.”

She seemed to study him for a moment and grabbed a file from the drawer to her right, she studied his name and something on the file before nodding curtly. “That would be fine, though do come by after four then. We should be done with his care for the afternoon.”

He thanked her politely and left the home.

Once he was back at his car he let his thoughts drift back to everything that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours. Clearly, something was going on in Beacon Hills. When wasn’t there something going on would be the better question, honestly. He was sure something or someone was watching him, but it couldn’t be Peter. He was still comatose and nonresponsive. He wouldn’t be walking around with those injuries. The fact that he’d never fully healed was weird in and of itself as well, he’d expected Peter to look a whole lot better after six years of healing. 

But maybe, maybe there had been something in that fire that hadn’t been as normal as the reports said. It was weird that the Hales hadn’t noticed an electrical shortage or hadn’t tried to escape the house once they smelled the smoke. There had been at least three full-grown werewolves inside that house during the fire, surely one of them had had the strength or wits to bust a window or kick a hole in the wall. So why hadn’t they?

And then there was the matter of nurse Jennifer and her strange behavior around him and the way she constantly side-eyed Peter. Almost as if she could hear of feel something that he couldn’t. It was definitely worth looking into.

He filed those thoughts for later, and wrote down some of the key words in a little black notebook that he kept in a hidden compartment in the dashboard of his car before driving home.

Later that afternoon, after he picked Ben up from school and set up another meeting for a DOD arms deal, he got a phone call from a familiar number. 

“Sheriff, what can I do for you?” He answered in the middle of making afternoon snacks, glancing over to where Ben was playing with his toy cars and Rabbit.

“Chris… I wish I could’ve called under better circumstances. But we found a body in the woods last night and I need you to take a look and rule out some… possibilities for me.” Noah sounded tired on the other end of the line as if the poor man hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night.

“I see. When do you need me to come in?” He looked down at his watch, noting the time was around four and his older kids should be home within the next ten minutes.

“How about tonight at eight? The morgue should be quiet by then and we can investigate the body in peace-” He heard Noah fumble with his phone for a moment, “Stiles, not now, I’m on the phone.”

“But dad-”

“Stiles, I’m on the phone. Sit down.” Noah’s voice cut through sternly. He had to bite back a smile and put in some effort to keep a straight face as his own rascals walked in at that moment. “Sorry about that, but tonight at eight?”

He studied the curious faces of Allison and Jackson for a moment, smiling when Jackson seemed to catch on to the meaning of his gaze. “I think I can arrange that. I’ll see you tonight.”

He hung up and merely smiled at his teenagers. “Alright, who’s babysitting for an hour?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it's somewhat comprehensible so far. Truth be told, I have a general idea where I want to take this story and what should happen in it. But mostly this is just me indulging in my wish to write a story I enjoy for once. I don't know how clear it is and what I need to fix or brush up on later, but I am having fun. So there's that. I can only hope that everyone else is too. Let me know your thoughts down below.


	4. The hunter, a druid, and the wolf

In the end, it was Jackson who drew the short end of the stick, though he had a feeling the teenagers would probably just watch out for Ben together and it would be more of a group effort than a one-man job. He didn’t tell them as much. Just made them snacks for their study session, both sweets, and healthy food, and made sure the surrounding area was clear and under the surveillance of the security system before he put Ben to bed after dinner. 

He barely looked up from his work as someone knocked on their door at seven pm. “Your friends are here.”

A small smile graced his lips as he caught both twins racing towards the door and pretending to be the coolest teenagers tm for a hot minute as they opened it. The sounds of teenagers talking quickly rose from the hall.

“Shit, your house is nice.” A brown-haired teenage girl with brown eyes entered the living room first, eyes wide as she surveyed her surroundings. 

“Uh… thanks. My dad bought it.” He heard Allison hesitate and he couldn’t help but smile at the teenage awkwardness going around.

“And he knows how to decorate too. Color me impressed.” A redhead followed the other teenage girl, she seemed far more at ease than the first girl. Probably from a more high-income family, judging by the type of clothing she wore.

“Yeah seems like you got it good.” A young man spoke next, Jackson’s friend most likely, if he had to take a guess.

He slowly stood up from his seat at the kitchen table, straightened the glasses on his nose and smiled warmly at the group of teens. “Is anyone going to introduce me?”

A chorus of; “Hey Mr. Argent,” “Hello sir,” and “Mr. Argent,” sounded in response.

Jackson and Allison decided to be merciful for once. “Right, dad, this is my friend Danny. Danny, my dad.” Jax quickly introduced them, he held out a hand and shook Danny’s in response. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Danny.” He gave the kid a warm smile and a stern look so that the young alpha had a good sense of who was in charge here. He tried not to smirk as the teenager swallowed nervously.

“And this is Malia and Lydia.” Allison quickly distracted him, he paused at hearing Malia’s name but extended his hand for them to take nonetheless. 

“Malia-” He cocked his head to the side and studied her for a moment. 

“Stilinski. You’ve met my father, he won’t shut up about you.” Malia shook his hand and smirked at him. “I can see why.”

He chuckled at that response and had to look away for a second. _Holy shit, poor Noah. He wasn’t kidding._ “Can you, miss Stilinski?”

“Mr. Argent, even if a blind man could see why.” 

He did not just hear that from his unknown- daughter? Stepdaughter? He wasn’t sure how to classify Malia or Stiles for that matter. But that was definitely not something he wanted to hear from either of them. He smiled awkwardly. “Good to know. Alright.”

The redhead, Lydia, was staring at Malia in shock. Actually, he was fairly happy to note that the other teenagers didn’t seem to share her sentiment. Allison was even trying to hide her face in her sweater. He felt a little sorry for her, and yet, it was funny to see them squirm.

“Right. It is good to meet you, Mr. Argent. I’m Lydia, Lydia Martin.” Lydia shook his hand politely, tucking a strand of her red hair behind an ear.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, miss Martin.” He surveyed the group of teenagers, silently praying to whomever was listening to just please keep them out of trouble for one night. Especially Jackson and Malia… oh god he honestly did not want to know what they could come up with if given half the chance.

He gave his son and daughter a stern glance and smiled tightly. “You guys can sit down in the living room, there’s snacks and drinks on the counter and in the fridge. And I trust you can keep an eye on Ben for an hour.”

“That won’t be a problem, dad. We got this.” Allison quickly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out into the hallway.

“Alright, alright.” He gently stopped her before she could fully work him out the door. “I get it sweetheart. Just- take care of your brothers, if Ben wakes up-”

“Put him back to bed and just read him a story.” Jackson quickly cut in, handing him the backpack he’d packed and left at the door earlier that evening. “We know the drill, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“Yeah, we’re used to this,” Allison added.

He knew what they were doing, could see it in the way they fidgeted as they tried to convince him to leave. “Are you sure, I got at least thirty min-”

“Dad, please!” They groaned in unison.

Chris couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. “Alright, alright. I’ll go. Be good, don’t burn down the house.”

“Dad!”

He stepped out smiling to himself and hoisted his backpack on his shoulders with a shake of the head. That worked like a charm every single time and never ceased to amuse him.

He arrived at the hospital with plenty of time to spare, parked his car in the lot behind the hospital and sat back for a moment. He really hadn’t meant to get caught up in whatever was going on, but as usual, his family seemed to be in the middle of things. Then again, he didn’t know what he’d been expecting, considering he’d returned to Beacon Hills of all places.

A sigh left him as he looked out the window, eyes staring blankly ahead through the darkness beyond the lot. Everything seemed quiet for the night, most of the day shift had gone home and only the night shift was running things. That meant he was alone in a dark parking lot. It was alright though, he had weapons under his seat and he wasn’t afraid of the dark or the things that went bump in the night.

Scuffling in the far distance drew his attention and he stared intently at a spot far beyond the dark parking lot. A large frame and two glowing red eyes stared back at him from afar. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt his mouth go dry as he stared into the blood-red orbs. That- that was an alpha werewolf. A beast class.

A million possibilities went through him. Was it a rogue? Part of the Alpha pack or another pack altogether? It couldn’t be Laura Hale, she was the last Alpha of the Hale line and in New York the last time he’d checked. She was also rumored to be Evolved like her mother, not a beast class. So who the hell?

The beast looked at him, cocking its head curiously as it sniffed the air and for a moment he could’ve sworn he saw recognition flash in those red eyes. Did he know the beast? Did he know its human counterpart? He couldn’t imagine he did. It clearly recognized something in him, though, for it didn’t try to attack him. 

What in the world was going on?

He slowly reached for the gun underneath his seat, sitting up just a little straighter as the beast took a single step closer. His eyes never left the beast’s, staring intently into the inhuman orbs. Trying to rack his brain as to where he’d seen that flicker before. Its ears twitched then and it froze, staring at something behind him.

A knock on the driver window made him jump. Noah stood next to his car, his knuckle still on the window as he looked at Chris with a gentle smile. “Earth to sleeping beauty.”

He quickly threw his door open, grabbed the gun and pushed himself in front of the sheriff, gun pointed at where he’d last seen the beast.

“What the hell, Chris?!” Noah grabbed him by the shoulder but paused when he saw the look in his eyes. “Chris?”

He looked around frantically, staring into the empty darkness but not catching another glimpse of the Alpha.

“It’s gone.” He slowly lowered his weapon and took a glance over his shoulder at Noah. “You didn’t see-?”

Noah looked at him as if he’d grown another head. And yet, his fingers were curling over his own gun holster. “See what? What did you see?” His gaze flickered to where the Alpha had been. “Chris?”

He let out a breath and slowly holstered his gun as the silence around them finally settled in. “I saw an Alpha. A werewolf beast, just beyond the parking lot.”

Noah stared at him, jaw slacked and suddenly fifty years older than he actually was. “You have got to be fucking kidding me…”

He couldn’t let it run rampant throughout Beacon Hills, he needed to do something. “We need to know where it went. We need to follow it.”

“Chris, there’s two of us. There’s no way we can bring down an Alpha beast.” Noah’s words fell on deaf ears though, for he’d already moved towards the last spot he’d seen the beast in. He grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat of his car and fished out his flashlight, carefully studying the ground at the edge of the lot. 

A set of paw prints stood in the muddy dirt clear as day. He pointed them out to the sheriff, who took a picture of them for evidence. They followed the tracks to the back of the hospital where paw prints morphed into human footprints. “Look at these.”

The sheriff walked up to his left and snapped a quick shot of the illuminated footprint. “Looks like a size 10-ish. Most likely a male.”

He stared at Noah, surprised at that statement. His eyes weren’t glowing purple either, so he wasn’t using magic to determine that. “You can tell that from looking at it?”

Noah merely smiled in response. “I’ve been a cop for ten years, Chris. I’ve seen some footprints.”

That was fair enough. He nodded in acknowledgment and followed the trail further. It suddenly stopped, another set of smaller footprints next to two tracks took over, disappearing into the grass and the tiles near the back door. “What in the-?”

Noah documented the rest of the trail, one hand holding his phone and a flashlight in the other. He cocked his head at the new set of footprints and the tracks. “Those look to be a size 7. Probably female. Those tracks are strange though, they’re about 30 inches apart.”

He thought on those measurements for a moment, making eye contact with Noah as it slowly dawned on him.

“A wheelchair.” They said in unison, chuckling at the shared revelation.

“So a patient in this hospital is actually a beast class Alpha werewolf?” Noah looked as though he was ready for a twenty-year nap. Truth be told, so was he.

“Jesus…” He pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered what the hell he was going to do. He’d sworn off the hunt but if an Alpha was causing trouble in Beacon Hills… he’d still have to follow the code.

“Well, I don’t think he’s gonna murder everyone while in a wheelchair. I’ll let Mel know what we found, but for now, we should get back to investigating our victim.” Noah didn’t seem particularly pleased with the idea of letting an Alpha run amok. But at the same time, the sheriff had a point. Whoever this Alpha was, he was weakened and needed time to recuperate. Time they could spend by uncovering his identity.

Nobody was going to believe them if they stormed in guns blazing, they’d be tackled and shackled before they even made it down the hallway.

“As much as I hate the idea of leaving this-” Chris said, “You’re right. We’ll catch him eventually. Let’s just hope nobody falls victim to the beast while we’re chasing it.” 

They made their way to the morgue. On edge and a bit fidgety as they walked over the parking lot and went through the morgue entrance. 

There was only one medical examiner working that night, going over paperwork in his office. So he was easy enough to slip by, though Noah did keep him talking for a hot minute before joining him in the examination room where they kept the bodies. 

“It’s the one on the bottom middle.” Noah pointed out.

He pulled the slab open and wrinkled his nose at the smell of formaldehyde and decomposing flesh. 

“Wonderful…” He groaned, gently lifting up the bloodied sheet the body was covered with. It was really just the lower half of a body. The genitals indicating that it was an Alpha and judging by build, the size of the feet and the neatly pedicured toenails, a female. “So probable female Alpha, fully developed, probably in the twenties something. Looks like she was attacked from behind. A chunk of flesh is missing from her calf, a bite mark on her butt and she was clearly cut in half.”

“That’s what we gathered so far, though it’s hard to fully identify the body as male or female without the upper half. Medical examiner thinks she was attacked by an animal and ripped in half.” Noah said, looking like he wasn’t exactly comfortable with being here, but not deeply disturbed either. Probably saw weirder shit in his daily work, he supposed.

He raised an eyebrow at Noah. “And what do you think?”

Noah merely shrugged. “My druid senses started tingling. Why do you think I called you?”

He chuckled at that and studied the area around the abdomen again. “No, definitely not ripped. Though someone tried to make it look that way. See the markings on the spine?” He pulled on a pair of gloves and gently pointed them out to the sheriff, “That was done with an Axe or a sword or some kind of weapon you can swing. Someone cut her in half after she died.”

He studied the wound on the calf and the bite mark as well. “And the wound on the calf? That’s the right size for a wolf but the serration and the separation of the flesh are off. So is the bite mark on the butt. Someone made it look like a wolf attack and went to great lengths to do so.”

Noah’s eyes briefly glowed purple and the sheriff shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “So you’re thinking hunters tried to cover it up?”

“Definitely.” He agreed, carefully covering the body back up. “I have a suspicion on who did it, too. But neither of us is going to like that answer.”

The druid’s eyes were still glowing a faint purple as he looked down at his feet and balled his hands at his sides. “I was afraid you were going to say that…” 

He carefully peeled the gloves off, tossed them in the trash and closed the distance between himself and the sheriff. “Whatever comes our way, we’ll handle it, Noah.” He said, gently patting Noah’s shoulder.

The sheriff took a steadying breath, scrunched up his nose at the terrible smell surrounding them and nodded briefly. His eyes returning to their normal stormy blue color. “That we will.”

They closed the slab back up and sneaked him back out of the morgue, meeting up in the parking lot once more. 

“So we have a beast class Alpha, a hunter cover-up and a murder currently going on in Beacon Hills.” He sighed, and it really was just Monday evening. What a time to be in Beacon Hills.

“Is it too late to nap for twenty years and just let others deal with this bullshit?” Noah leaned back against the hood of the Tahoe with a groan.

He definitely felt that sentiment in his bones. God, he needed a very long nap. “If only that were an option.”

“Fuck.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “Guess we better figure this shit out then. Find out who that Alpha is, why the hunters are covering it up and who killed our mystery female Alpha. That should be easy, so doable…”

He sounded tired, done and fed up. And really? Chris felt the same way. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sentiment. “Absolutely. We’ll have it done by Friday on the full moon.”

“And save the whole goddamn town from itself.” 

They shared a good-natured laugh, eyes lingering on each other for a moment as they smiled. God, he missed him. He felt that little string in his chest sing and pulse as Noah reached out and took his hand in his own. _Together_. The word was unsaid but he felt it and he couldn’t help but give him a tiny nod in return as he laced their fingers together.

After a few minutes, he looked down at their joined hands and reluctantly let go. Noah seemed to understand, for he smiled and gave a nod in response. “We should head back, the kids will be waiting.”

“Yeah, you need to pick up your troublemaker.” He slowly pushed himself up from the hood and stretched out before walking over the driver’s side.

Noah looked like he’d just spilled his beer in front of him. “That bad?”

“I think her exact words where; Even a blind man can see why my dad finds you attractive.” He smirked, “Which isn’t something I wanted to hear from my soul-mates’ daughter.”

Noah seemed to age ten years in ten seconds. “I’ll talk to her. Frankly, I need to talk to her and Stiles anyway, catch them up. Maybe you should too.”

He’d been thinking about it before all of this, especially now that Ben’s shifter powers had kicked in and the full moon was approaching. Maybe it was time to catch them up. “I’ll think about it. I need a few more days.”

Noah gave him a look, one that clearly said he didn’t agree. “That’s all you have. I’ll meet you at yours to pick up Malia.”

With that, Noah went over to the cruiser and pulled away. 

He got in his own car not long after and followed, meeting Noah back at his house where they entered together. They found the group of teenagers watching Underworld together while browsing through their school books. So much for studying.

Lydia and Danny left together after the credits rolled and Noah brought Malia home with him. And after a quick cleaning of the living room, he ushered his teenagers upstairs and off to bed, wondering how in the hell he was going to deal with all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 4, next chapter will be the missing section of what the kids went through on Tuesday, the night 'studying' and watching Ben. And we'll check in with Stiles and Scott, since they were having adventures too. And we'll go through the next day. Probably from the kids' point of view and we'll end the chapter with Chris's point of view again. If you're excited to read more, have thoughts or ideas, leave em down in the comments. 
> 
> If you spotted weird sentences, spelling or grammar mistakes, let me know. 
> 
> Hateful comments will not be responded to, but I feel like that's a given.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the story so far!


	5. The next step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a blanket statement: But I would be very happy with transformative works based on mine, be that fanart, podfic, inspired by stories, gifsets on Tumblr, etc. Just let me know what you made and I'll give you a shout out, reblog your work and probably go crazy with joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have changed the chapter idea a little bit and only included Jackson's POV, to test it out. Next chapter we will back at Chris's POV and probably have another flashback and work ahead a little to where Jackson is attacked in the video store. 
> 
> I'm debating on who I should send with Jackson to the video store, either Malia or Lydia. Depending on what would work best for it I guess. Vote on it in the comments?

**Earlier that day:**  
**Monday 8 AM.**

Dad had gone to drop Ben off at kindergarten and honestly, he never felt so relieved. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his father dearly but sometimes the man could be far too overprotective. He was sixteen for god sake, almost seventeen. He didn’t need to be dropped off at school anymore. His sister seemed to agree with him, as she already fetched their lunch bags out of the fridge and handed him one.

“Come on, as much I love dad. I don’t want to be dropped off at school for the first day.” Allison grabbed her backpack, shoved her lunch down into it and went off towards the garage. He copied and followed his twin, aiding her in getting their bikes out.

The road to school wasn’t difficult, just long with a couple of turns but Beacon Hills was fairly quiet and there wasn’t much traffic. They parked their bikes in the designated area, took their helmets off and headed up to the reception to get themselves settled in.

Allison’s first class was history, his was economics so they parted ways for first period. As soon as he stepped into the class, all eyes were on him and he smiled as charmingly as he could manage. 

The teacher beckoned him in further, “Class, this is Jackson Argent. He’s one of our new students here and I trust you’ll give him a warm welcome. Jackson do you want to tell us about yourself?”

“Not really but I have to,” He hated this part of moving around but maybe this time it’d be different, “I’m Jackson, I moved here with my dad, my twin sister and my little brother from San Fransisco and I’m just- waiting to see how long we’ll stay. That’s all, really.”

“Alright then… That was incredibly enlightening. Have a seat.” The teacher pointed him to an empty desk between two Alphas. One a redhead, the other a young man that seemed a bit shy.

The other boy gave him a polite smile and made a bit more room for him by dragging his backpack back. “Hi, I’m Danny.”

He nodded in response, “Nice to meet you.” 

The female Alpha on his right studied him for a moment before smiling brightly. “Lydia, and you’ll do nicely.”

He spared a confused glance at Danny, who shrugged at him in amusement. He turned back to Lydia and narrowed his eyes at her. “As what?”

“Arm candy.” 

He had to really process what she was saying for a moment. Not sure if he heard it right. “Arm candy?”

“Yeah,” Lydia continued making notes for the class while she whispered back to him, “You’re hot, fit, new, an omega, and it would be very mutually beneficial.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, per se, but if it could gain him popularity and other benefits without having to put out he was game for it. “What’s in it for me?”

“Popularity, status, it would get any other alpha of your back and I could help you study and you’d make an instant friend.”

He thought about it for a second, quickly writing down some notes for the class in his notebook. “Would we have to be intimately involved?”

Lydia looked at him with a horrified expression. “Oh god no… no offense, you’re cute just not my type. No aside from hugging or holding my hand I don’t expect anything from you.” She must have noticed his reluctance, for she smiled at him reassuringly. “Don’t worry, think about it for a couple of days and consider the pros and cons.”

He wasn’t sure what to think about her offer or any of this, to be honest, so he just nodded and slowly went back to his coursework. “Sure..”

The rest of the class went by relatively peaceful after that. He walked out with Lydia and Danny and instantly found people around him take notice. Maybe there was something to this suggestion of hers.

“So you’re originally from San Francisco? What the hell are you doing in Beacon Hills?” Danny asked as they put their books into their lockers and got the books for the next class. Lydia stared at him intently from a few lockers down.

“Actually, I’m originally from Beacon Hills. My sister and I were born here. My little brother was born in Carson City. We moved around a lot, San Francisco was just the last place we lived.” 

Both Danny and Lydia seemed intrigued by that. 

“Well, that’s gotta suck.” Danny said, “You think you’ll stay around this time?”

He honestly didn’t know. But so far he’d met two people who he’d consider being friendly with and he hadn’t had that before. Most people wrote him off as an asshole and left it at that. Rightfully so, but still. “Don’t know, hope I will. How about you?”

“My family’s always been here, generations of them. We’ve been around for centuries, just watching the drama unfold.” Danny shrugged.

He couldn’t help but grin, there was a certain ease around Danny that kind of drew him in. He seemed like a chill kinda guy who’d be down to hang out. It was almost soothing in a way. “Just grabbing that popcorn, centuries-long.”

“Damn straight. Someone ought to.”

“Boys as much as I enjoy this bonding, we have math and I don’t want to be late.” Lydia cut in, smiling sweetly. Though something told him he didn’t want to cross her.

In math class, he met up with Allison, her new friend Malia, and two dorks that followed her around named Stiles and Scott. She merely shrugged at him when he shot her a questioning look. He decided quickly that he didn’t like either of them. Scott for staring and smiling at his sister, Stiles for being a hyperactive klutz who had no filter whatsoever.

“Could you be any more annoying?” He asked the latter of two after listening to Stiles tapping his pencil on his desk for several minutes.

“Can you be more of an asshole?” Stiles shot back at him.

“Yes, actually. Would you like to find out?” God he just wanted to punch this kid in the face. With a brick.

“No,” Stiles turned back to his notes for a second before turning back to him, “But just cause I’m curious, what crawled up your ass and died? Was it your sense of humor or your soul itself?”

“Just my patience for little shits-” He bit back just as the teacher called out-

“Mr. Stilinski! Mr. Argent! Eyes back up front!”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence at that, both of them staring at their notes for a few minutes before Stilinski broke it. “How in the world are you related to Allison? You look nothing alike.”

He had to force himself to remain calm and sighed. “I can’t believe the sheriff had such a shit-head for a kid, but hey, here we are.”

Stilinksi just responded with a glare and flipped him off. He rolled his eyes at the behavior and focused back on his work for now.

Somewhere near the end of class, he caught sight of his sister smiling at the boy behind her. Scott, he believed it was and almost gagged as the other teen smiled back at her. God that was disgusting to witness. 

What he hadn’t counted on was a similar reaction coming from Stilinski. Now that was interesting. It seemed that Stiles didn’t like Scott hitting it up with Allison either. Maybe he could use that to his advantage… If Stilinksi could keep his annoying behavior at bay for five seconds.

He leaned forward a bit and whispered, “That we agree on, that is disgusting.”

“Yeah but there’s not much we can do about it.” 

He contemplated that for a moment, looking around until his eyes settled on Lydia. Who was also looking at Allison with a bit of an awed expression. Though not nearly as obvious as Scott and there was a certain softness to it as opposed to Scott’s lovesick expression. Interesting. “Maybe we won’t have to.” 

The bell to signal the end of class had them all packing and going for the door. They headed out to lunch where he sat down with Danny, Lydia, Allison, and Malia. Thankfully, Scott and Stiles had gone off on their own. Though he seriously wondered if that was a good sign or not.

“So how are you related to Stiles again?” He asked Malia, cause he still couldn’t believe how someone that normal was related to someone that annoying and dorky.

“We’re twins. Like you and Allison, except we look alike.” Malia answered in between bites.

“We’re still not sure how that happened.” Allison laughed, “He looks so much like dad, and I look nothing like either of them.”

Jackson chuckled, “You look more like aunt Kate, actually.”

Allison thought on that for a minute. “Huh, guess I do. Not quite, but similar.”

Lydia had been listening intently to Allison’s every word. “That’s possible. Genetics are known to skip a generation or show up randomly,” When she noticed they were all staring at her, she chuckled, “Or so I’ve heard.”

So Lydia was acting dumber than she was. Either people had been bullying her for it or she wanted people to underestimate her in order to come out on top. Either theory was intriguing. He caught her staring at Allison again, the corners of her lips curling up as Allison laughed at one of Malia’s jokes. The little sparkle in her eyes reminded him of the way his father and the sheriff had looked at one another yesterday in the grocery store. Did that mean…

He filed the thought away for later.

“I noticed you and Stiles don’t look much like your dad either.” He said, fishing out a sandwich and an apple from his lunch bag.

“We look like our Aunt too, actually. On my dad’s side. Not papa’s.” Malia explained.

“Oh-” Danny said, “Right, wasn’t she Talia Hale? I think my grandma mentioned something about the sheriff dating her brother Peter at some point.”

Lydia snorted, “Your grandma is the biggest gossip in Beacon Hills, Danny. How do you know anything she says is true?”

Malia shrugged, “Well she’s not wrong-” She looked a bit uncomfortable about it, though, “It’s just not many people know, so-”

He couldn’t really understand what they were talking about. But he was certainly interested in hearing more about this Peter Hale. Especially if he’d dated the sheriff around the time his own father had been in Beacon Hills. “Sorry, who?”

“Peter Hale,” Malia said, “He’s my dad. Stiles and I take after his sister Talia in looks.”

“Still don’t know who that is…” Allison said, looking intrigued as well.

“He’s from this well-known family in Beacon Hills, one of the oldest families in town,” Danny explained, “There was an electrical shortage that caused a house fire six years ago and Peter Hale was the only survivor.”

Malia looked at Danny with an expression that clearly read; _Really dude?_ “He is also my father, Danny. Thank you,” She sighed, “But yes, that’s true. He’s in a coma in the long term care ward of the hospital. My dad, Stiles and I visit him every other Tuesday.”

He honestly didn’t know what to say to that and he went uncharacteristically quiet. His sister was better with words anyway.

“I’m so sorry, Malia,” Allison said, “I can’t even imagine what that has to be like.”

Malia shrugged, clearly a little uncomfortable at all the sudden attention. “I mean, I didn’t know him that well- My pop married my mom after Stiles and I were born and we just- we only saw my dad and his family at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our birthday. So while I knew him and I kinda do miss him, I didn’t know him that well, honestly.”

One thing stood out to him though and his puzzled expression caught the attention of Malia, Danny, and Lydia. 

“What?” Malia frowned at him.

“It’s just- why did your pop marry your mom if your dad was still in the picture?”

Malia looked like she really wanted to say something, narrowed her eyes at him and Allison and shrugged after a moment or two. “I don’t know, he never said as much. I just accepted it.”

It was odd, but as the bell rang overhead and Malia shot up from her seat, he didn’t get the chance to keep asking her about it. It was very strange, though, and he definitely couldn’t place it with how his own dad had to fit in that picture somewhere. It was all too coincidental. His dad’s relationship to the sheriff had to fit in with this Peter Hale guy somewhere. At least he had a name to look into.

The rest of his classes passed with little excitement, it was high school and after lunch, they were all a bit more grumpy and a bit more tired than usual. They did meet up again after the last class though and headed down the field behind the school to watch Danny, Stiles and Scott’s Lacrosse practice.

“Why are we watching this again?” He leaned towards Lydia as they watched Danny walk onto the field in his gear. 

“Cause the sport here is Lacrosse, they won state three times in a row. Michael, the front center, he’s a dick but he’s also the star player. And if you want to make it in Beacon Hills' social circle, you keep him on the friendly side.” She explained.

“And what if I don’t?” He really didn’t have any patience to deal with an asshole of an alpha today.

“Then you’ll have to make it on your own or be content with the bottom spot like those two.” She nodded towards Stiles and Scott.

As much as he hated the idea of having to suck up to some Alpha, he really didn’t want to be in the same circle as spaz and dumber over there. “What if I take his spot?”

Lydia looked at him as if he’d just grown another head. “Please, no one has ever managed to do that. Jones has been on top of the food chain since day one in kindergarten.”

He merely grinned at her and leaned back in his seat as he studied the Alpha she’d been talking about. Tall, muscular, a brute and barely more than five brain cells in him. “He’s never had to go against me.”

“Good luck with that.” Lydia snorted, shaking her head at his words. And yet, he caught a flicker of hope in her eyes. As if something in her would like nothing more than to see Jones suffer for once.

“Don’t need it. I need an ally-” He almost expected her to call him out again and for a moment it seemed like she was going to. But something changed in her expression and she leaned closer to him.

“Keep talking.”

“I think I can overthrow tall and dumb over there, by being everything he isn’t. And a guy like that, he won’t take kindly to it. So I need a social stabilizer. I need you.” He let it sink in for a second, “Now your earlier offer, I don’t think it’s quite going to fly. But- I will accept your friendship and your social status benefits if you can get the school on my side.”

She seemed to really think about it. “What’s in it for me? Aside from getting Jones out of the picture.”

“I can get you my dad’s approval.” If his intuition was correct, that would gain her interest.

She gave him an unimpressed look though. “Why would I want that?”

He smiled, knowing she’d taken the bait. “Because I’ve seen the way you look at Allison. And frankly, I think she likes you enough and if it’s meant, it’ll happen. But once it does, her approval and mine is just one part of the equation. I can get you that last part, my dad values my opinion and my insights and once he knows of my opinion on you verses Scott-.”

Lydia considered his offer and smiled sweetly. “Deal. Time to bring down a titan.”

Time to bring down a titan indeed. 

Practice after that was quiet and they made plans with Lydia, Danny, and Malia to meet up for the night to study and watch a movie. Which was all fine and dandy as long as they didn’t tell their dad what exactly they were doing. 

Having their newfound friends meeting their father that night was awkward as fuck and didn’t need repeating in his opinion. Especially Malia’s comment had left him with a strange feeling. He shrugged it off after a minute or two, grabbed the snacks and drinks and joined the others as the studio logos at the start of Underworld started playing. They all grabbed their textbooks and mindlessly leafed through them, though most of their attention was on the movie.

“You think vampires and werewolves actually exist?” Allison asked about half an hour in.

“If they do they’re good at hiding.” He answered, noting just how Malia and Danny seemed to squirm at the question. He narrowed his eyes, lips quirking just a little. “What do you think, Danny?”

“Every myth or legend is based on truth. They’re probably not around anymore though.”

“Yeah,” Malia added, “That would ridiculous. Werewolves-, as if.”

The way she said that made him think she believed otherwise. The strange thing was, she had no reason to hide it. Or did she?

“I’m with Jackson,” Lydia said, “If they do exist, they’re good at hiding. As long they don’t try to eat me, I couldn’t care less either.”

“Amen to that.” He said, taking a sip of his soda. A stumbling sound upstairs pulled him out of the movie and he paused the film to listen more closely.

“I think Ben might be awake.” Allison sighed.

“I’ll check it out.” After all, he drew the short end this time.

“I’ll come with, I need to stretch my legs for a bit.” Malia jumped up with him, which was a little weird. But Malia seemed a little weird in general. So he shrugged it off.

He went upstairs, Malia on his heels and pushed Ben’s bedroom door open. Ben was sitting at the window sill, looking up at an almost full moon while clutching Rabbit in his arms. He practically felt Malia freeze behind him and raised an eyebrow at her behavior. 

He closed the bedroom door and flicked on the light. “Hey, buddy, what are you doing out of bed?”

For a moment he could’ve sworn his brother’s eyes were yellow. He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking he was just overly tired and took another look. His brother’s eyes were back to their normal blue. Maybe he just was that tired…

“I couldn’t sleep. It keeps calling.” Ben muttered, burying his face in Rabbit’s fur.

He looked outside, frowning as he stared at the moon with his brother. “What, the moon?”

“It’s getting stronger.”

Right… he felt dread sink into his shoes, eyes nervously flicking between Ben and the moon for a second. If Ben wanted to freak him out, the kid had done it. He really didn’t want to be dealing with this. “That’s- I’m sure that’s just in your dream. Let’s just go back to bed, okay?”

Ben looked over at Malia for a second, who smiled and nodded at him. “I’m sure it was just a dream.”

Ben didn’t seem to question her, not even ask who she was and merely followed her suggestion. The kid climbed back into bed and tucked himself back in.

He needed a moment to process it all. Ben and Malia’s strange behaviors, the thing with Peter Hale, his dad, and the sheriff. He’d been in Beacon Hills for two fucking days and he already felt like he was in a murder mystery or something. He turned back to Malia and frowned. 

She’d moved towards the door but her hand hovered over the doorknob whilst she stared at a black painted line at the bottom of it. It went all across the room and even over the door, which was a weird design choice by his dad, sure, but he didn’t question it. He did now that he saw Malia’s behavior with it.

“Something wrong?” He asked, slowly closing the gap between them.

“Why is the line painted over the door?” She looked at him nervously, fidgeting a little as she slowly lowered her hand back down.

“I dunno, weird design choice by my dad.” He shrugged, “Why are you afraid of it?”

“I’m not it’s just- Could you open it for me? It’s-” She seemed hesitant, “It’s an OCD thing that I can’t break black lines.”

He didn’t buy it. Not for one single second but he humored her and opened the door anyway. She stepped out and he bid Ben one last good night before he followed her. He quickly cornered her near his father’s study and narrowed his eyes as he leaned over her.

“Alright spit it out. What are you hiding?” He hissed.

“What are you talking about?” Malia looked right at him, but there was something about her twitching that told him she’d rather run.

“An OCD thing? Really, do you think I’m stupid?”

She seemed to consider his question. “Do you want an honest answer to that?”

“Funny,” he bit back, though he considered it anything but, “You’re lying about everything. The OCD, why your mom and dad married, the weird look you just shared with my brother. Something is not adding up, Malia.”

Malia struggled with her next answer. “How much do you know, Jackson? How much has your dad told you?”

Maybe if he gave her a cryptic enough answer she’d give one in return. “Enough,” He said, though his heart skipped a beat.

Malia merely smiled at him and laid a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Talk to your dad. He knows what’s going on and he should be the one to tell you.”

“Why can’t you?” He couldn’t place the puzzle pieces, but he was a step closer and he wouldn’t let it go.

“Because I promised not to. To anyone. All I can say is, your instincts are right. There is something going on.” Malia looked down at her feet and sighed before meeting his gaze again, “And I really wish I could tell you what it is.”

“Malia-”

“Please,” Malia sighed, “Look Jackson if-” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “If your dad won’t tell you then I will. Friday after dinner. But ask him first.”

He considered her offer, she truly looked uncomfortable with being cornered like this and even remorseful. Like she wanted to tell him everything but something in her couldn’t. And he didn’t know why but he took pity on her and nodded. “Alright. I’ll ask him.”

He bit his lip and offered a small smile when he noticed she was looking down at the floor. “Truce?”

She looked at his hand and smiled in return, wrapping her arms around him in a hug instead. “Truce.”

He froze for a moment but wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on top of hers and breathing in her scent that somehow reminded him of Allison and Ben. Because Malia smelled like home, like safety, and warmth. It was just another piece in an already growing puzzle. 

He stepped back after a moment or two and returned the smile she sent his way before both of them headed back down. They returned to the others among some commentary of “It’s been ten minutes-” and resumed their movie. 

By the time his father and the sheriff came back, they were both engrossed in the movie once more. Occasionally making comments on what was happening on screen but mostly getting along.

Lydia and Danny returned home together after the movie was done and Malia went back with her father, giving him one last nod before she left. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by the sheriff, Allison, and his own father.

His dad chose not to comment on it, though Allison did as they walked up to the bathroom and got ready for bed.

“So you and Malia seemed to be getting along tonight,” Allison said, between brushing her teeth.

“We came to an understanding. That’s all.” Was all he said before he finished his business and went to his own room.

The next morning they had breakfast together as a family before his dad brought Ben to school while Allison and himself headed back to high school. His classes went by relatively quickly and during free period he hung out with Allison, Malia, Danny, and Lydia in the library.

“What’s up with Scott and Stiles?” Lydia asked as they poured over their history homework. “They’ve been stranger than usual.”

His eyes flicked to Malia who seemed very interested in marking her notes with a highlighter. 

“Have they ever been normal? It’s Scott and Stiles.” Danny said, chuckling as he pulled his notebook closer and made a few quick notes.

“That’s a good point,” Malia quickly added, “They’ve always been like that.”

The way in which she spoke indicated that she knew more about all of it. And yet, when she caught him looking, she sent a look back that clearly told him to _drop it_ for now. So it had to be in the same category as what happened last night. 

“They do seem like they’re just-” he shared another look with Malia and gave her a nod that was barely there, “Losers.”

Allison shot him a look that practically screamed; _what the hell has gotten into you?_ Though she chose not to call him out on it.

He didn’t need to explain himself to her, not now. He focused his attention back on Lydia. 

“Yeah, but it’s weird, even for them.” When she noticed everyone was staring at her she smiled and shrugged, “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He gave her a small smile in return, though his eyes narrowed when he noticed Malia’s eyes widened just a little. He took a quick peek over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Stiles and Scott sneaking off school grounds. What the fuck were they up to? His eyes met Malia’s and for a moment there was a silent understanding between them. _Not a word. Not to the others._

But he’d figure it out soon enough, all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a little with this chapter since I had a lot of ideas and wanted to bring in some exposition and I hope I pulled that off. I will not be switching back to the teenagers a lot though. I find them harder to write than the adults. Though Jackson and Malia's interactions make me smile and I think there's some real potential there. I really want to see if I can get both sets of twins more in there but not sure how to do it.
> 
> Like I mentioned earlier, next chapter we will go through a few of the attacks and the second half of the body and I'm changing a few more things from canon for it. But I hope it pans out and that my ideas come across. So far, I'm happy with this story and the creativity I get to pour into it feels really good.
> 
> I hope it's enjoyable for everyone else as well. Let me know if you do enjoy it, what your questions are, what you're most curious or excited about. Cause it really helps me with continuity and enthusiasm for this story. So let me know what you think!


	6. That what won't kill us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few disclaimers before you read this:
> 
> A) I decided to split this chapter in 2 because it was getting really long and I wanted to post an update for you guys.
> 
> B) I have no idea how fires work but I really wanted to put down my take on the Hale fire and I think I did an ok job. But yeah, I bullshit my way through everything. So I'm sorry if this sounds wildly implausible.
> 
> C) I have no idea how long this fic is going to be, I originally thought about 25000, but I've almost hit that wordcount (without outtakes) and I'm nowhere near the end. More like at 30% at this point. So we'll see how long this gets and how many people will want to read what happens next. I'll be writing the next parts anyway.
> 
> D) I hope you enjoy! I very much enjoyed writing this and exploring both dynamics between characters and the next step of the mystery. I'm having a blast and I hope you are too ^^

That morning he made pancakes with fruit for breakfast and roast beef sandwiches with apple slices and peanut butter for lunch before getting his kids out the door. The teens were the easiest, you just put food in front of them and handed them a paper bag and they’d go off on their own. Ben, however, was a different matter.

He got the boy up. Making sure to let him out of his room because he wouldn’t be able to cross the paint line by himself. He didn’t like it one bit, but it sure beats the alternative of letting Ben run around the house whilst partially or fully shifted. It was still better than having to lock him in a cage or endangering Jackson and Allison. Even a five-year-old werewolf could cause a good amount of damage if they got too close. Unfortunately, it was a necessary evil he had to abide by.

“Ben, you need to be at school in ten minutes,” He finally had enough of the boy’s stalling tactics after watching him eat each individual strawberry and blueberry on his plate for the last half hour. “I don’t want you to be late.”

Ben just sighed and pouted at him. “Do I have to? I wanna stay with you.”

Now that, made some alarm bells ring in his head. “Why’s that? You were excited to start school and make friends.”

Ben shrugged and pushed the last piece of pancake around his plate. “I don’t know. Just cause.”

“Hmmm,” He hummed, packing Ben’s backpack for him and grabbing his shoes before sitting back down at the table, “Something tells me there’s more to this.” 

Another shrug. He sighed, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

He was worried about Ben’s sudden shift in behavior but he also couldn’t force him to say it if he didn’t want to. 

“I made a friend.” Ben murmured.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” He wasn’t sure where this was going but he was willing to wait it out for now. He just hoped it had nothing to do with the weirdness of Beacon Hills. Explaining the supernatural to a five-year-old wasn’t on his list of favorite things to do.

“Yeah, but the other kids say I’m weird. And Mack’s the only one who likes me.”

So that was it then, something fairly benign and nothing supernatural. Thank fucking god. “I see, I know that’s hard. And that kids can be mean. But you have Mack to be your friend, and if the other kids say or do things that really hurt. It’s okay to tell someone, like a teacher or me. And if they ever do hurt you, or Mack, it’s okay to fight back, Ben.”

Ben looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “You mean I can punch someone who’s mean to me?”

“Only if they try to hurt you first, and only if words won’t stop them. If both apply to your situation, then yes, punch them.” He couldn’t believe he was having this talk again, but he’d said the same things to Jackson and Allison once. And they were words he stood by. Not that he condoned violence, but some situations called for it. Bullying was one of them.

Ben seemed to consider it for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, I’ll try school again today.”

He felt like there might be something more to it, but Ben had a smile on his face and he seemed to have perked up a bit at their short talk. “Great, put your shoes on and grab your bag. We need to go.”

Ben quickly put on his sneakers and attempted to tie his shoes twice before sighing. He quickly reached over and helped his son tie his shoes before herding him out the door. They didn’t make it before the first bell and he had to apologize to Ben’s teacher for getting him to class late. It was worth it though, when he watched his son smile back at him as he sat down next to his very first friend.

He walked back home after that, a small smile on his face as he strolled through the neighborhood. For once things seemed peaceful in Beacon Hills and he’d take the quiet for now. He also knew that in this town, that quiet didn’t last long.

By the time he got home, his mind was drifting to what they’d discovered last night. The second half of the body hadn’t been found yet, which was unusual for both a werewolf killing or a hunter cover kill. Unless someone had moved the body. Though he also knew that there wasn’t anything around the place the body had been found at. The only thing close was the Hale house and that was no longer habitable.

Which raised the question, what had happened? Actually now that he thought about it-

He walked over to his car, grabbing his keys off the dresser on his way out, and sat in the passenger's seat as he fished out his little notebook. Reading through his notes with a frown, he put his thoughts back in order.

If his suspicion on the Hale house fire was correct, then there might be something left to look into in that house. He would have to head over.

First, he dialed up Noah’s number, figuring that Noah could tell him more about the fire in general. He’d been a deputy during that time and was probably involved in the initial investigation. Maybe he knew something that he hadn’t shared so far. Not that they really had much of a chance to discuss things.

He wrote down some keywords, put his notebook back into the secret compartment, and dialed Noah’s number as he locked the car and went back inside. Once up in his office, after the phone had rung about six times, he finally heard Noah’s voice.

“Chris, what do you need?” 

He smiled at the sound of his voice, reminding himself that the reason he was calling wasn’t social. “I need to look into the Hale fire.”

Noah sighed on the other end, “And you need the police files from me?”

“That would make it easier,” He shrugged, “And maybe your blessing.”

“You have it, you know you do.” He heard a door close and Noah rummaging through a file cabinet, “Officially that case is closed-”

“And unofficially?” His lips curled up as he heard Noah rummage some more.

“I’ve never stopped looking and copies of those files are here for you to pick up. I kept hitting dead ends because the law wouldn’t allow me to do certain things. But,”

He didn’t have those limitations. “I’m on it. I’ll pick them up in ten minutes.”

“Come to my office, I’ll have to bring some of the evidence we have on file as well. It can’t leave the station-”

He understood what Noah was trying to do. “But it’ll help me get on the right track. I’ll be there soon.”

Noah hung up on him and he quickly made his way over to the station. He parked his car in the lot and headed over to the desk. “I’m here to see sheriff Stilinski, he’s expecting me.”

The deputy studied him for a moment and pulled a list off her desk. “Name?”

“Chris Argent.” She was just doing her job and he was happy to note she had a healthy dose of paranoia about people walking in. 

“Signature there behind your name and any weapons on the desk unloaded and with the safety on.” 

He followed her instructions to the letter, signing behind his name and putting his handgun that he kept on him at all times on the desk, unloaded and with the safety on. “All clear?”

She narrowed her eyes at him and gestured for him to turn around while gesturing an omega deputy over. “Not yet, search him.”

He allowed them to search him, knowing they’d find nothing on him. Once the officer had stepped away from him, the deputy behind the desk smiled at him. “Come right through, Mr. Argent. I’ll show you to the sheriff.”

He smiled and stepped up behind her, following her dutifully as she led him to the main office in the back. She knocked on the door twice. “Sheriff, Mr. Argent is here to see you.”

“Let him in.” Noah’s voice rose from the office.

“Good luck, he’s in a mood.” The deputy gave him a small encouraging smile and let him in before returning to her desk.

He stepped in, frowning as he saw Noah look through all the old files and some old evidence boxes. “I see you started without me-”

Noah sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s just- six years and I haven’t- Something’s just not right…”

He slowly laid a hand on Noah’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’s alright, I’m sure you gave it your best with what was given to you.”

Noah looked at him with tears in his eyes, a slight purple glow to them. “Did I? I was so consumed with Claudia and I kept hitting- God I was a mess. And everyone I interviewed didn’t know anything but there was some part of me-”

“It didn’t sit right.” He supplied softly.

“No,” Noah laid his hand on top of Chris’s own and rested his cheek against their joined hands. “It didn’t. Like with last night, the druid senses wouldn’t stop tingling,” He paused, “Something supernatural is going on in Beacon Hills, with this murder, the fire. I just can’t prove it.”

“Something supernatural is always going on in Beacon Hills,” He nodded slowly and let his gaze roam over the evidence laid out in front of him. “But I think you’re right about the fire and the murder. Mind if I take a look?”

Noah slowly let go of his hand and walked around the desk. “Knock yourself out,”

He picked the hefty file up and leafed through it, finding the insurance report, he read through it. Frowning more deeply with every word. “He ruled that it was an electrical fire… within a day?”

Noah’s eyes met his own, “He did. He also ruled that the hale’s hadn’t been able to smell the starting fire because it started down in the fuse box and by the time they went to investigate, most of the support beams in the floor had been on fire. It then quickly spread to the living room and kitchen and then down into the cellar.”

He read through the police report and put the two reports next to one another. “The cellar is where most of the bodies were found, sure. But they went down there with six people? That’s his report?”

It didn’t add up. Why would six people make it down to the cellar while the other five stayed in the living room? And of the six people that went to the cellar, one of them had been Peter, who survived. So why hadn’t the other five?

He read through the reports again and noticed another discrepancy. “The police report says Laura and Derek were at school at the time of the fire, but the fire occurred in the evening. What were they doing at school that late?”

At that, Noah sighed and looked down at his fingers, “They weren’t. They lied.”

“Why?” He couldn’t immediately put two and two together but something told him that Noah had something to do with why Laura and Derek survived.

“Because they were with me. I-” Noah couldn’t look at him, “After Claudia died, I lost my magical anchor. She was my best friend, my companion. So I started drinking, to block out pain, to- to block out the feelings. And I lost sight of what was important to me. Three months later, Laura found out how I was really doing and she took Derek with her to watch the twins whilst she gave me a talking to. That’s why they weren’t at the house that night.” He paused, biting his lip, “After- I told them to make up a lie for Peter and their mother. I couldn’t face Peter or Talia yet. And it turns out they used the lie to tell the police instead.”

He couldn’t imagine what Noah went through, how much he’d been in at the time. Claudia and Noah, they’d been friends since kindergarten from what he gathered out of their stories. The sudden loss must have felt like a part of Noah had been carved out of him. And he hadn’t been there for his own soul-mate. “Noah, I-”

“Don’t,” The sheriff shook his head and gave him a shaky smile, “It’s not your fault. Not Peter’s either. It’s just- grief. Grief was at fault. It would have happened even if you were both there. And I understood and supported why you weren’t. Allison and Jackson had to be kept safe, we agreed, all three of us.” Noah’s eyes met his, a fierce determination shining through, “And you kept that promise, Chris. You did exactly what I needed you to do.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. On one hand, knowing that Noah didn’t blame him felt comforting. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should’ve been there for him. Noah had needed him and he hadn’t been there. “Still-”

“I don’t blame you or Peter,” Noah repeated.

He didn’t believe it, even though Noah seemed to. He decided that focusing back on their original track of thought would be the best for now. But they would talk things through more thoroughly if it was up to him. “So that’s why they were out of the house. Where was the rest inside?”

“Talia and Nathaniel were in the kitchen. We think the family was sitting down for dinner. Lisa, Merlia, and Rosina were setting the table we believe. And Peter and John were watching the kids; Cora, Aaron, Leo, and Krysti in the living room. At some point during the regular night the fuse box between the layers of the cellar and the living room floor-”

“The one near the cellar stairs?” He frowned as he tried to put that logic together.

Noah gave him a look that told him he found it suspicious as well, “That’s the one. It sparked and caused a rapid-fire that quickly spread through the isolation materials in the walls and in the floor.”

He leafed through both reports again, frowning at the insurance report several times. “If the fire started near the cellar stairs, then how did six members of the family made it past it and then five burned to death in the cellar? I mean Peter would’ve been able to go through, sure, but-” He checked the report again, “John and the kids, wouldn’t. Aaron was human, Leo and Krysti were human too. John would’ve been able if he wasn’t sixty-eight and Cora was eleven. That fuse box was an open construction, I’ve had the outline of those fuses in my back more than once when- well.”

Despite what they were looking into, Noah chuckled, “That was Peter’s favorite make-out spot. Why I’ll never know, but-” He shrugged.

“And yet the fire traveled into the isolation material instead of going out where it had the least resistance? And if that had been the case, their path would’ve been blocked.” A slow realization came over him, “Unless the fuse box caught on fire after Peter and John had led the kids to the cellar.”

Noah nodded along. “Something forced them to split up, I got that far but never got to prove it. There were no witnesses, the insurance investigator wouldn’t talk to me and I was pretty messed up to begin with.”

He studied the files one more time, his eye catching on a particular photograph that was made after the bodies had been retrieved. It had white police tape outlining the shape of the bodies. “The kids were reaching for something near the bars- John was found in front of them, probably protecting them. And Peter-”

“Peter had a support beam him fall on him as he was trying to reach the cellar door.” Noah added, laying down another photo, Ït’s why he’s burned for seventy-five percent and survived.” Noah added.

He turned his head and pointed out a black line going across the doorway. “Was that caused by the fire?”

“What was?” Noah came over and leaned in, cocking his head as he studied the photo closer. “Is that-?”

He nodded slowly, “I think it might be. And that would mean-”

“The fire was caused by someone who knew what they were.” Noah paled considerably and looked like he might be sick for a minute. He managed to keep himself contained, though. “Holy shit.”

“I need to have a look at the Hale house,” Chris muttered, slowly gathering up the pictures and files that Noah had copied for him and neatly gathered them into a file folder.

“Off the record?” Noah’s gaze was understanding and maybe even determined. “I shouldn’t let you, but-”

“I’ll just take a look, get back to you. I won’t disturb anything at the scene.”

Noah thought on it for a minute before nodding. “Find me answers I can investigate on record.” 

He nodded, knowing Noah wouldn’t give up on the law completely. Even if he was desperate enough to ask Chris to investigate things on the skirts of the law.

He paused at the door and looked over at his former mate, feeling a gentle tug at his chest as Noah glanced over at him amidst cleaning up his desk. He opened his mouth, wanting to say more, let him know how good it was to be back here with him. But found any words to be stuck in his throat. So he settled for the short amount of eye contact that Noah held with him, a soft smile on his lips.

He left the station after that, driving the decent distance to the Hale house ruins on the preserve. He quickly checked his watch, noticing it was around eleven by the time he got there. He had a few hours left before he had to pick up Ben.

The house itself had seen far better days, though most of it seemed to be standing still. But part of the roof was completely burned away as well as a large section in the back of the house. It was black, gray, and charred, and so far from the once familiar light brown painted bricks with a dark roof tile and white trimmings that it was painful to witness. The once-great Hale house was nothing more but a ruin. He remembered the first time he walked through those doors.

-

**Hale House, 1992**

“Are you sure your family won’t mind?” Chris looked up at the impressive looking house with awe and hesitated on the steps while Noah and Peter walked up the porch to the door.

“Stop worrying, my family is going to adore you.” Peter grinned at him as he turned his key in the lock. “They liked Noah.”

“Hey!” Noah looked mildly offended at that but laughed anyway. “They love me, okay, more than they like you.”

“Ouch,” Peter pouted as he opened the door and led both of them in. “That just hurts my feelings. You should kiss it better.”

He wasn’t sure how to behave or what to think of their careless behavior. Of course, Peter’s family would like Noah, Noah was a druid. Chris though, he was a hunter. And an Argent at that. 

“Only if you behave-” Noah bit back, but he didn’t get to finish his sentence before he was practically tackled by a flurry of brown hair and enthusiasm.

Whatever had tackled Noah let out a little shriek and a giggle. “Noah!”

Peter watched the display with amusement, though he whined softly for dramatic effect. “What? No hug for Uncle Peter?”

The little girl, no more than four, for that was what had tackled Noah to the floor, stuck her tongue out to Peter, and shook her head. “No! Cause you’re a meanie, Peter, and Noah’s nice.”

Peter crossed his hands over his heart, leaned back against Chris so he could lay his head on Chris’s shoulder and give him the saddest puppy eyes whilst sniffling. “You hear that, Chris? That’s my own niece talking to me like that.”

He merely raised an eyebrow at Peter’s antics and smiled at the little girl as she stared up at him. “I’m sure you deserved it.”

The look Peter gave him was the best entertainment he’d had in over a month. Absolutely devastated at first glance, but he could tell Peter was having far too much fun with his acting abilities. “Et tu Brute?”

He shook his head and looked on curiously as Peter’s niece moved off Noah and cocked her head at him. “I’m Laura. Who are you? Are you uncle Peter’s other mate?”

He wasn’t sure if he heard it right, he’d known Peter and Noah for almost four months now and they’d been fooling around and getting closer. He certainly couldn’t deny the attraction between the three of them but to call them mates? That might be a bit early. 

Although here he was, meeting Peter’s family for the first time.

“I’m sorry, I’m his what?” He frowned as Laura frowned at him in return and quickly looked to her uncle. 

“Isn’t he?”

Peter opened his mouth to answer, saw the look in Chris’s eyes, and the questioning look Noah threw at him and seemed to rethink his answer. “That’s Chris and it’s… complicated.”

“No it’s strings- momma said so.” Laura insisted, clearly confused by her uncle’s disagreement.

Had they talked about this before? By the sound of it, Peter had something of a string in his chest as well. Was it the same thing that Chris felt vibrating in his chest whenever Noah or Peter were around him? Was that what she meant with strings? Or what it something else entirely? Honestly, it was just incredibly confusing.

“Laura, sweetie, let’s just say Chris is really important to me. Just like Noah is important to me.” Peter sighed, helping Noah back on his feet. 

The druid smiled, “We’re still getting to know each other and finding out how we like each other. That’s all.”

That seemed to be an explanation Laura could get behind. “Oh, that makes sense… I think. Like Mommy is important to daddy but daddy doesn’t live with us?”

At that, Noah frowned and hesitated. “Well-”

“Laura, honey, let’s not interrogate your uncle Peter and his friends.” Another voice said. He looked up and towards the stairs to see a woman come down. She had brown hair and brown eyes and an air around her that demanded respect. And yet, her smile was warm and loving, a certain softness was in her eyes that made him feel at home and wanted. A feeling he hadn’t had amongst his own family in a long time.

“But momma-” Laura whined.

“Go help Jappa with the table, he really needs your help.” Her tone was firm but kind as she spoke to her daughter, shifting the dark-haired toddler on her hip a little as she descended the last few steps.

“Okay, see you later, Noah, Chris!” And off the little whirlwind was, probably to help this Jappa person.

“Again nothing for your uncle?” Peter called after her, receiving a chuckle from the woman in return.

“She loves you, Pete. She’s just- wild.” The woman walked up to him and smiled warmly at the three of them. “And you must be Chris.”

He wasn’t sure if she had any idea who he really was and if she’d still be kind to him if she did. But something about her told him he could trust her. He slowly nodded. “Yes ma’am, I’m friends with Noah and Peter.”

He didn’t think it was possible but her smile warmed up even more. “I’ve heard a lot about you and I’m delighted to finally meet you. I’m Talia, Peter’s sister.”

She took in his hunched posture and the way he seemed to be gripping at his jacket and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright sweetheart, we know and you know and that doesn’t make any difference to me. You’re our guest regardless of where you come from.”

He honestly hadn’t expected her to be this kind or understanding. It shook all of his beliefs even further, unraveled the last few strands of his father’s teaching and for a moment he felt incredibly lost. Talia seemed to understand and gently gave his shoulder another squeeze. “You’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you like.”

He felt tears in his eyes as the guilt and confusion settled over him. He blinked them away. “I-” He wanted to say he was sorry, that he was so wrong about all of it. That his family was wrong. Peter had shown him that in the last few months and now Talia was showing him nothing but kindness. If it was all an act, it was a good one. “Thank you. For your hospitality, ma’am.”

“Talia.” She gave him another warm smile, the toddler on her hip fussed a little and she tried to settle him down.

The dark-haired boy reached for him, which seemed to surprise everyone in the room. “Huh,” Peter chuckled, “Derek usually doesn’t like strangers.”

“He doesn’t,” Talia added, “But he seems to like Chris here.” She looked at him, “Would you mind holding him for a moment?”

He slowly shook his head, a little apprehensive about being handed a toddler but he also didn’t want to seem rude after all of their civility and hospitality. So he gently took Derek from Talia and marveled at the little boy in his arms. Those bright blue eyes stared at him for a moment, hopeful and curious before a little giggle escaped the toddler. “Uh, hi?”

“Fu- uh, shoot me sideways, he’s never done that for me.” Noah stared at Chris in disbelief.

Peter had wrapped an arm around Noah’s shoulders, the smile he sent his way could’ve rivaled the sun. “Chris just has that spark with our little Derek, like you have with Laura.”

“In that case,” Talia said, “Why don’t you help me carry him to his seat at the table? Everything should be set by now.”

He looked at Noah and Peter, who gave him encouraging smiles. He nodded and settled Derek on his hip, “Sure, lead the way.”

-

**Hale House, 2011**

Chris shook his head at the memory and slowly walked up the steps. He opened the front door, slightly surprised that it still worked to some degree and entered the ruins.

The smell of sulfur, burned wood, and the general smell of fire hung thick in the air. Even after all these years it still smelled like the fire had just occurred. He walked in, slowly looking around as he investigated the hall and the living room. Letting his fingers trail over burned picture frames and furniture. Picturing in his mind how it once looked.

Once the living room had been a place of warmth with earthy tones and cream sofas, with a solid wood coffee table and a rug that divided the seating area from the mantle. The same mantle were he was currently looking at the burned frames. 

He sighed softly as he gently picked up the centerpiece, a sad smile on his lips as he recognized a part of the charred photo. Nathaniel’s smiling face, though slightly charred, was looking back at him. The part of the photograph that had been burned away was the rest of the family. He knew the photo well, for he had an exact copy of it locked away in his own study. 

And if he recalled correctly, Nathaniel’s arm had been draped over his wife, Lisa’s, shoulder. John, Nathaniel’s father, had stood to Lisa’s right. Grinning like the proud grandfather and father that he was. Merlia, John’s youngest daughter, stood next to him, her arm around her wife, Rosina’s, shoulder. Talia stood next to Rosina, in the center of the photo as their Alpha, her belly swollen with child while her mate, Deucalion, had his hands over their unborn pup. Laura, their oldest, stood at her mother’s side, grinning at the camera while Derek, their son, had chosen to smile shyly and grab onto his father’s leg.

He himself stood to Deucalion’s right, a twin in each arm as he grinned proudly at the camera. The twins, Allison and Jackson, had been almost a month old when the picture was taken. Peter had one arm around his middle, the other arm looped around Noah’s heavily pregnant belly. Both of them had been smiling at him and the twins the moment that the camera went off.

Those last two months, after Allison and Jackson had been born, had been some of the happiest of his life. He’d gotten to see Malia and Mieczysław’s, otherwise known as Stiles, birth, and had gotten to hold them before shit went down. And things went downhill fast.

He sighed again, very gently putting the charred picture back on the mantle before resuming his sweep of the living room. He went back into the hall and past the intricate looking dresser and mirror combo, the one with all of their wolves carved into it, and walked into the kitchen and towards the cellar stairs.

He paused as he walked past the counter, letting his fingers roam over the corner with a smile as another memory hit him.

_“I still don’t know how you three got yourselves in this situation.” Deucalion chuckled, passing him a bowl of homemade chocolate pudding. “You’re six months along, Noah four, and you’re all fresh out of high school.”_

_He’d raised an eyebrow at the wolf, a spoonful of pudding right at his lips as he’d been wolfing the delicious chocolaty goodness down. “I didn’t think I’d need to explain the birds and bees to you, considering you have two pups and a third on the way.”_

_The werewolf merely laughed at his words, shaking his head lightly. “Touche. But I meant-”_

_Chris grinned back at him, “I know, I just- I don’t know. Shit happens.”_

_The werewolf clearly shot him a look that meant; no shit sherlock. But honestly, Chris didn’t care much. “Well, for what it’s worth, Christopher. I’m glad you and Noah have found a safe place among us. You’re family and family watches out for each other.”_

In the months leading up to the twins’ birth, he certainly had some weird 3 am conversations with Talia’s mate. But the man had never made him feel unwelcome and had always obliged his every late-night pregnancy craving. 

He had to wonder, as he walked to the cellar entrance, where the man had gone off to after the fire. He hadn’t been in the house at the time, that he knew for sure. But no one had seen him since either.

He descended the stairs, using a flashlight he carried on him as a light source, and made sure to stop at the fuse box halfway down. It had melted almost completely into a barely recognizable mess. But judging by how the back paneling was charred but not burned away, he could only conclude that his earlier assessment had been correct. The fire couldn’t have originated here. Otherwise, if it had spread as the report had stated, the back panel would’ve been gone. Not just charred.

He walked down further, using his flashlight to follow the trail of burned footsteps to a faded white outline near the window with bars that hovered over four more outlines. John and the kids. He realized with a pang in his heart.

_“Now you hop on that counter, my boy.” John gestured for Chris to take a seat on the edge of the kitchen counter. “And let me look at that wound of yours.”_

_He hopped on as he was told, trying to cover his hands and grazed knuckles. “The other guy looks worse-” He muttered._

_John chuckled and gently pressed a clean wet cloth to the cut on above his eyebrow. “Oh I’m sure Elias does and I ain’t mad about that, my boy.” John’s gaze flicked to Noah’s split lip and his black eye. “As a matter of fact, I’ll be calling Mieczysław ‘cause I think me and him ought to pay that bastard a visit of our own.”_

_Chris looked at John in confusion and cocked his head. “Then why?”_

_“Cause you had to put yourself in that situation in the first place and got hurt. Chris, my boy, you’re my son. Like Noah is, like Peter and Nathaniel are. And I don’t care who lays a hand on my boys, or my girls. They’re gonna catch my fists and my rage and rue the day they messed with my family. And family, you both are.” John said as he gently dressed Chris’s wounds and ruffled his hair._

He stopped at the outline of John and carefully bend down to trace the faint white lines. Tears slowly fell down. He didn’t notice at first until they hit his cheeks. He’d cried when he first heard of the fire, he’d cried for everyone he’d lost. But seeing the evidence right in front of him now, that brought another wave of incredible sorrow.

Sobs wracked through him and he needed a few good minutes to fully process all of the grief that he finally allowed to wash over him. 

“Jesus- focus Chris.” He whispered to himself as he tried to keep himself breathing steady and focused his thoughts and attention back on his surroundings.

So John and the kids had been holed up near the window, the kids reaching for something or someone outside. He stepped closer, looking through the barred window but couldn’t detect anything grab-able or noticeable just outside the bars. That meant they’d probably reached for someone. A possible arsonist maybe?

His gaze lingered on John’s outline for a few more moments before he finally pulled himself away. He walked further down, past the rows of broken wine bottles and burned racks to the cellar doors that led outside. He stopped and kneeled in front of them, fingers tracing the solid black line that he found on the ground. It was too straight to be caused by the fire and as he lifted his black fingertips to his nose, the unmistakable smell hit him.

Mountain ash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, if you have any questions and what your favorite parts were so far. I'd love to hear from all of you!  
> Also, this is my longest chapter yet. What do we think? Up for repeating even if you have to wait a bit longer?
> 
> Let me know!


	7. Reunions can tear us apart

The Hales wouldn’t have placed it there themselves, knowing that several members of their family wouldn’t be able to cross it. That meant someone had managed to sneak in and place the line there to prevent anyone from getting out. 

The fire wasn’t an accident. 

Someone set fire to the Hale house, someone with knowledge about the supernatural and most likely with a deep grudge against the entire family.

He swallowed back the bile that rose in the back of his throat and fought down the wave of nausea that hit him. He could do this. He could find out what was going on and get to the bottom of things. He let out a shaky breath and pointed his flashlight towards the rows of broken bottles and burned racks, taking note of the partial support beam over a faded white outline on the ground. It’s where Peter had ended up. Though why he’d collapsed there was a bit of a mystery.

He pointed the flashlight up and at first glance, it seemed like the support beam had collapsed under the heat and the damage it sustained. But as he looked closer he noticed a little bit of burlap stuck near the crack of the beam. He looked around for anything he could use, finding an old, slightly charred barrel at the other side of the cellar. It was slightly damaged but looked sturdy enough to stand on.

He dragged it over, just below the cracked support beam, and carefully put the weight of one foot on top of it. It creaked a little but held, so he slowly put more weight on it and slowly hoisted himself upon the barrel. It felt a little wobbly beneath him, but it would hold his weight for now. He checked the area near the beam, finding little pieces of charred burlap on the base. A few strings stuck out here and there and as he shined his flashlight on them, they lit up purple.

-

_“Pay attention, Christopher!” His father snapped at him as he tied the strings around little burlap packages. “These skills might one day save your life.”_

_“Wolfsbane bombs will save my life?” Chris raised an eyebrow as his sister laughed at him._

_“Daddy, you know Chris has other things on his mind when it comes to those beasts. I’m surprised he’s still coming home if I’m honest.” Kate smirked, quickly filling a little burlap sack with purple Wolfsbane powder and gunpowder and tying it with a string. Even at twelve years old, his sister had a surprising knack for the hunt._

_“You and me both, my dear-” Gerard’s voice sounded like ice, and if looks could kill he would’ve been dead ten times over._

_“It’s just- they’re not like that. Not all of them, dad.” It was the wrong thing to say and he knew it the second the words had left his mouth. “I-”_

_His father’s hand curled around the back of his neck and squeezed to the point where he heard the bones grind. “Make your damn bomb, boy. And you better hope it does what it needs or this hunt will be your last.”_

-

He looked closer at the other side of the base and found two more burlap pieces there. Someone had placed at least four Wolfsbane bombs at the base of the support beam. Most likely to bring it down on one of the wolves. Which happened to be Peter. The support beam must have protected him from burning alive but the Wolfsbane that he’d inhaled must have weakened him enough to the brink of death and prevent him from healing. Ironically enough, that what should have killed him ended up saving his life.

He carefully stepped off the barrel and directed his flashlight to where Peter had been headed. He knew there was a tunnel leading outside on the other side of that brick wall. Peter, Noah, and himself had gone down it more than once to sneak out of the house late at night. 

His eyes flicked back to the support beam. There was no logical explanation to choose that particular beam amongst all the others. Not unless you had inside knowledge of the tunnels…

It clicked then. What had transpired during the fire. 

He let out a shaky breath as he opened the wall by pushing back the second brick on his right. It had a little wolf carved into the brick.

The wall moved back and revealed a doorway he could move through. Slowly he walked down the tunnel, shining his light among the ground and walls until he hit another painted solid black line that stretched from one end to the other, over the walls, and made a full circle by going across the ceiling. More mountain ash.

Before the fire had been lit someone had been down in the cellar, setting up the mountain ash lines in the secret tunnel and in front of the cellar doors. They’d then rigged the support beam near the tunnel with Wolfsbane explosives to prevent them from getting that far. The mountain ash line was clearly there for extra precaution.

_The Hales had actively been hunted to extinction._

There was no denying it, this was the work of hunters and he knew it. All the signs pointed to it. And yet-

He couldn’t wrap his head around who would break the code like that. Several of the Hale’s who had died had been completely human. Innocent children had died in this fire. And the other Hales had lived peaceful lives among the community. Who in god’s name-

He froze for a moment when he heard footsteps above him. He was standing in the tunnel directly below the family room at the back of the house. Or what was left of it, at least. There shouldn’t be anyone here.

He grabbed the gun that he had strapped to his belt and crossed it over his flashlight as he slowly walked back to the cellar. The wall closed behind him just as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He quickly turned off his flashlight and took position behind one of the burned wine racks. He forced his breathing down to the bare minimum and kept his heart beating calm and steady, hunter instincts kicking in due to years of training.

Low growling reached his ears, followed by soft footsteps that circled around him. He slowly turned around in his spot without making a sound and braced himself for a fight. He quickly stepped out in front of whatever had tried to sneak up on him and pointed his gun right between the creature’s eyes.

Familiar blue eyes stared back at him, wide and taken aback as the wolf froze under the weapon.

“Derek?” He stared at the young man in front of him. Despite the dark, he could see the blue eyes clear enough and he recognized those eyes from anywhere. They were too similar to Peter’s not to.

Derek stared at him in shock, taking a few breaths as he seemed to wrap his head around what he was seeing. “Uncle Chris?”

He let out a relieved breath and smiled warmly at the werewolf, slowly lowering his gun. “What are you- You’re supposed to be in New York.”

“Why are you here?” Derek’s brows slowly knit together into a frown, his eyes darkening a few shades as a low growl rose from his throat once more. “You came back to finish it, didn’t you?”

Out of all the answers he’d expected, that hadn’t been one of them and it took him a moment to fully register what Derek was saying. “What? No. Why on earth-”

Derek suddenly lurched forward, his clawed hands digging into Chris’s shirt as he lifted the hunter right off his feet and slammed him against one of the broken racks. “Why are you here?!”

He grunted at the impact, trying to control his racing heart and his breathing to reflect a calm he wasn’t feeling. He wasn’t sure what had caused Derek to snap but he was going to find out. He pressed the barrel of his gun over Derek’s heart. “Derek, I don’t want to shoot you. But if you don’t put me down, I will. Let’s talk about this.”

Derek’s shoulders shook, a soft pained whine coming from the werewolf as he slowly lowered Chris back to his feet. His eyes reflected a pain he’d clearly been hiding for a long time. So he wasn’t that far gone then. “Talk?”

He still didn’t know what was going on in Derek’s head but he felt like he might be able to figure it out if he kept him calm enough. “Yeah, talk. Just you and me. Let’s figure this out.”

“After what your kind did? You want to talk?” Derek’s voice broke at the last word, his face constricting in pain as he looked away from him. “You didn’t try to talk that night, when-”

So Derek knew. Derek had known who was behind the attack and hadn’t said anything to anyone. He wondered why but that wasn’t the question he needed to ask right this second. “I know, I saw. I saw what they did. I figured it out.” He paused letting out a broken breath as a tear fell down, “And Derek, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect them. But I need you to believe me when I say I had nothing to do with this.”

Derek’s tear-filled eyes glared at him. “How could you not?”

He could barely believe those words. But a part of him understood that any connection to hunters would make him suspicious. So he let it slide and honestly answered. “Because of Peter. Think Derek. Would I ever endanger Peter like that? Would I endanger our family like that?”

Derek’s face twisted into a snarl as if he was barely comprehending Chris’s words through the darkness in his head before he shook his head. “No. No, you wouldn’t.”

Derek’s fingers slowly let go of his shirt and the wolf looked a whole lot smaller than he was in that moment. He looked broken, scared, and grieving. And he clearly didn’t know how to handle all of these emotions without lashing out. 

He slowly lowered his gun and put it back on his belt before slowly reaching out to the young werewolf. “It’s okay, son. I’m not going to hurt you.” He slowly placed his hands on Derek’s cheeks and gently pulled the young man closer, mindful of what he was but confident that Derek wasn’t going to lash out again. “Come here.”

Slowly but surely Derek shuffled closer and laid his head down on his shoulder, nose buried in the scent gland in his neck to calm himself down. For a moment, he felt like he was back to holding that toddler all those years ago. A slow breath escaped from his lips as he wrapped his arms around the young wolf and simply held him for a few minutes. “It’ll all be alright.”

He felt Derek’s breath against his neck, the tremors of his shoulders, and slowly two arms wrapped around him in a gentle hug. “Uncle Chris, I- I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, son. You’re forgiven, there’s no harm done.” He carefully pulled away from the younger man and took a moment to gather his thoughts. It was hard to see in the darkness of the cellar but judging by Derek’s scent, the werewolf had calmed down and had a much clearer mind. “But how about we move somewhere to where we can have a much calmer conversation?”

Derek nodded and stepped back, leading the way back up the stairs and into the living room where he paused and turned back to him. He winced as he saw Chris hold his back while he walked up to him. 

The bruise that was forming there was going to be a bitch to handle, but honestly, he had much worse and it was nothing compared to the pain of childbirth. So he sucked it up and merely rubbed it a few times to ease the pain a little. “Don’t worry about it, technically, I was trespassing.”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Derek's voice sounded defeated, “We’re predators but-”

“That doesn’t make you monsters.” Chris finished for him, giving the young man an encouraging smile. “I know. And you’re not. You’re a kid who’s had to go through too damn much.”

That seemed to get Derek to think for a moment. “Where’d you go? Nobody would tell me where you went after Stiles and Malia-”

He smiled sadly, knowing that Peter and Talia probably had told Laura and Derek that he’d disappeared or had to go away forever. “Lots of places. San Diego, San Fransisco, Carson City, Sacramento, Las Vegas. Moved around a lot, really. I had to. After everything that happened with my father and-”

Derek frowned, cocking his head slightly to the left. “What do you mean?”

He chuckled sadly, shaking his head as he tried to find the right words. “My family and I- we didn’t part on good terms. I- uh, I refused to settle into an arranged marriage and I just- I took the twins and I left.” 

At Derek’s silent look, he continued, “I managed to keep it up for years. Heard some other hunters talk about them while on jobs, but I’ve managed to stay away. They caught up to me when Allison and Jackson were three and reeled me back in.”

“Why aren’t you with them now? What made you come back?”

He studied Derek carefully before answering, “Because my youngest son, Ben, he’s a shifter. He shifted three months ago and I had to get him away before my father found out.”

Derek seemed puzzled by that answer, “You said shifted, not turned. He’s-?”

He nodded slowly. “Born. Like his father and his family before him.” He hoped Derek would catch on to the meaning of those words.

And he did, for his expression softened a little more and he smiled softly. “Peter’s?”

He couldn’t help but smile at the hopeful tone in Derek’s voice. “Who else? I’m sure he’d be delighted to meet his older cousin.” He paused, fighting down the fear he felt at that thought. For it meant that he’d have to tell his kids the truth. “All three of them would.”

Derek smiled at that, a genuine smile that actually reached his eyes. “Yeah me too.”

Chris’s watch started beeping at that moment, the time already reading 2 pm. He didn’t want to leave Derek here by himself. There were too many emotions still undiscussed, too many questions still unanswered. And as much as he had feared this day, he knew it would’ve come eventually. By returning to Beacon Hills he’d made that inevitable. “Well, would you like to? I have to pick him up, we can talk more on the drive there.”

Derek considered his words, clearly weighing his options before finally nodding. “Alright, lead the way.”

He led Derek out and back to his car where he led him to the passenger seat of the red Tahoe. He got in the driver’s seat himself and sighed softly before giving the young wolf an encouraging smile. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to do this. But Derek didn’t deserve being out here by himself and the parent in him couldn’t- no wouldn’t leave a kid behind. Even if that kid was twenty-one years old by now.

He pulled away from the house, driving down the preservation road and back to town. He shot a glance at Derek occasionally as he drove, trying to find the right words to say. “So how was New York?”

He grimaced at his own words, though Derek seemed a little amused by them, judging by the smirk at the corner of his lips.

“Hectic. I couldn’t get used to the sounds, the smells. Laura thrived though,” He went quiet for a minute, “She loved New York.”

The way Derek spoke those words wasn’t lost on him. He spoke about Laura in the past tense, which struck him as odd. “So why did she leave then?”

Derek tensed up and looked down at his hands, his jaw tensing a little before he spoke. “She got a text from an unknown number. She thought it might have been another pack trying to cause trouble in Beacon Hills. So she-” 

Derek’s breathing stopped for a second and as he glanced over he could see Derek’s claws digging into his own thighs, causing them to bleed. 

He reached over and gently patted the wolf’s wrist. “Hey,”

The wolf stared at him, uncertain for a second, but he retreated his claws nonetheless. 

A soft sigh escaped him, “Laura came back to Beacon Hills didn’t she?”

Derek’s nod was so subtle that he almost missed it, but he did notice the way Derek’s shoulders dropped a little. “She needed to investigate the deer.”

That got his attention. He hadn’t heard anything about a deer from Noah yet. Was it something the sheriff had forgotten to mention or was Noah hiding something from him? “What deer? What do you mean?”

Derek sent him one his signature; _You don’t know, do you?_ Looks. “The one with the revenge spiral. That’s why Laura came back. And when she didn’t call or return for a couple of days, I came after her.”

The wheels in his head started turning, the dots slowly connecting themselves together a little more clearly. “She was lured here.”

If that were true, and Laura had been lured to the woods or another location, then the body they found- Oh god… It couldn’t be- he couldn’t deal with- “Derek they found half a body in the woods…”

Derek looked away from him then, confirming what he’d suspected. 

“Oh god. Do you-” He felt sick to his stomach and he had to crank the window just a little to keep himself from throwing up. Laura- He drew in a breath and held it.

Derek’s silence told him all he needed to know. He closed his eyes for a second, focusing them back on the road as he slowly released the breath he’d been holding. “We need to tell Noah where she is, Derek. He’ll be able to help.”

Derek shook his head. “We shouldn’t drag him into this. I shouldn’t have dragged you in.”

He almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was Derek seriously considering leaving them out and refusing any kind of help? Then again, that sounded exactly like something Derek would do. Even as a child he’d been like that. “Well too bad, I dragged myself in. And Noah’s going to hex your balls off if you don’t include him.”

“But-”

He raised an eyebrow at Derek’s protest and slowly looked over before focusing back on the road ahead. “But what?”

Derek was smart enough to realize when he couldn’t win an upcoming battle and merely sighed. “Nothing. I just- I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

As sweet as that sentiment was, he also knew that was a bullshit excuse. Noah was one of the more powerful druids he’d known in their time and Chris was an Argent. Both of them had been through some serious shit before and had always come out on top. “You seriously think either of us hasn’t been through worse?”

Derek smiled sadly and turned to look at Chris. “I think you have no idea what’s going on and if you did, it would break you.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” He asked, his voice soft. Though Derek’s words caused unease in him. Could he be right? Would it break him to know the truth?

“I can’t. I’m sorry, Uncle Chris. I can’t,” He looked out the window once more, “Not yet.”

His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white, though he controlled his frustration with a sigh. “Then why don’t we start with Laura? Start small, like where her other half is buried? We’ll work from there.”

Derek tensed once more. “Uncle Chris-”

Something in him snapped just a little. He was tired of the mystery, tired of not knowing how to protect his kids from it. And he needed Derek to just spill some beans tonight. “Derek just-”

He controlled his breathing and slowly released it through his teeth. “Just do me this one favor and tell Noah tonight. Please. If you care one bit about our family, then- please.”

Derek’s crestfallen expression hurt something fierce as if he’d just stabbed himself in the heart and twisted the knife ten times over. But he needed to know what was going on in order to help and he wasn’t going to drop it, even if it meant hurting Derek’s feelings. He’d talk it out with him when they’d both calmed down a bit.

“I just don’t want to lose more family-” He barely caught it from Derek’s muttering but that little sentence just drove that knife in further. 

“I know you don’t,” He replied softly, “And you won’t. But we can’t help you figure this out if you don’t help us.”

Derek’s shoulders tensed and he turned away from Chris, staring out the window for a few silent moments before finally sighing. “Fine. If I show you and Noah tonight, will you drop it?”

He slowly nodded, knowing that this was the first step in getting Derek’s help and that for now, that was enough. But eventually, he’d have to bring it back up. “Sure.” 

The last few minutes in the car were silent as he slowly pulled up on his own driveway and got out. He couldn’t bear to say anything more and disturb the bare shreds of peace that they had left.

Derek followed and stared up at the house in silent awe. 

Chris couldn’t help but smile. “It’s amazing what you can get if you have the cash to pay upfront, isn’t it?”

“You can say that-” Derek leaned against the car as he studied the house for a moment.

“I’ve got a spare room if you want to stick around after tonight.” Chris offered, knowing that explaining all of this to his kids was going to leave him vulnerable and shaky. But also necessary if he ever wanted his family to be whole again. He’d already left them in the dark for far too long. And with everything going on, it was only going to be a matter of time before they found out. Especially Jackson, who was too smart for his own good, would figure everything out before he was ready. Shit would hit the fan far too fast if he did before things could be explained to him.

Derek didn’t say anything in return and merely nodded. 

His watch beeped again, letting him know it was 2:25, and Ben would be out of school in five minutes. “Let’s get my youngest trouble maker and introduce you before he tears down his school in enthusiasm.”

“He’s that much of a handful?” Derek looked a little worried and apprehensive at his words but followed him down the street nonetheless.

He had to fight down a smile and looked back at the young wolf with the calmest expression he could manage. “He’s Peter’s son, what did you expect?”

That Ben was one of the sweetest kids he’d ever known didn’t really matter. Because Derek didn’t know that. And if he’d been talking about Jackson he would’ve meant every single word, so he didn’t feel too bad about lying to Derek. Besides, he’d catch on quickly after he met Ben.

At precisely 2:30 the school bell rang and a bunch of kids came running towards their parents. Ben himself took a couple of minutes, walking and chatting quietly with a dark-skinned boy. His best guess was that that was Ben’s friend, Mack, judging by the way the boys laughed and joked around. Once Ben spotted him he grinned and waved back at his friend before taking off towards him. “Papa!”

He quickly scooped up the five-year-old and pressed a kiss to his hair. “Hey, sport.”

The five-year-old went silent as he spotted Derek, his head tilted to the side and a slight frown on his brows. “Who are you?”

Derek looked at Chris with such a deadpan that he had to bite back a smile. Clearly the young man had caught up on the fact that Ben wasn’t nearly as troublesome as he’d said. “I’m Derek, I’m-”

He looked unsure, not knowing how to identify himself to Ben in that instant. So Chris made the decision quickly to relieve the tension in the air. “He’s your cousin, he’s cousin Derek.”

The look on Ben’s face was priceless as the boy stared at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw. “I have a cousin?” He whispered in awe, “With a leather jacket?”

He couldn’t help but laugh at those words. Of course, at five and a half, perceived coolness like a leather jacket was the most important thing in the world to Ben. It didn’t matter that he’d never heard of this cousin before, he’d accept it because said cousin was a cool older cousin. If only Allison and Jackson would be this easy, then again, that’s why he wanted to start with Ben.

“Absolutely,” Derek grinned, “Might even get you one someday.”

“Really?!” 

He didn’t have the heart to say no as Ben looked up at him, those wide blue eyes and the look of pure joy on that little face made it impossible. “Sure sport.”

“Cool,” Ben grinned and that seemed to be it for the kiddo, accepted just like that. “You should’ve come by before, I bet Jackson likes your jacket too. Oh and I’m Ben, I’m five and a half.”

“I know,” Derek’s smile was warm and genuine as they slowly walked back to their home. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ben.”

“How come I didn’t hear about you, then?” And there it was, he wasn’t surprised by the question and thankfully Derek didn’t seem to fazed this time either.

“I was very far away and I didn’t talk much with your dad, so I couldn’t come by.”

“How far is far?” Ben’s inquisitive nature got the better of him and the boy was staring in awe at his cousin.

“New York City, actually,” Derek said.

“That’s on the other side of the country!” Truth be told, he was surprised that Ben knew that. He hadn’t been teaching him much geography yet, aside from pointing out their current residence on road maps.

“It is. I’m surprised you know that.” Derek raised an eyebrow, but he caught a tiny smile on his lips as well.

“I saw it in a geo- geographee book, Miss Denver has one in the class bookshelf.”

“Geography,” He gently corrected Ben, smiling as his son stumbled over his own words a little. The way Ben spoke kinda reminded him of how Jackson used to talk, it was adorable all around.

“Yeah, that.” Ben agreed.

“Well, that’s why you haven’t heard from me. I lived on the other side of the country.” Derek let him walk up to the door first and walked after him as they entered the house. He put Ben down in the living room and started fetching him some juice from the open kitchen.

“Oh,” Ben seemed to reflect on that, “Well, I’m glad you’re here now. Now I have more family! So does that mean you’re related to daddy? Because Aunt Kate doesn’t have kids.”

Derek’s mood darkened at the mention of Kate, which struck him as particularly odd. Considering his shoulders tensed and his brow knit together in a way that indicated he was really struggling to keep his emotions at bay, Kate had done something terrible to Derek personally. But what, he didn’t know. He promised himself at that moment, that he’d find out.

Ben seemed to sense the shift in Derek’s mood, for he too, went quiet and looked down at his own feet.

“I- yeah. I’m the son of your daddy’s sister, of your Aunt Talia.” Derek said.

“What were daddy and Aunt Talia like? Papa doesn’t talk about them. What was daddy’s name?” Ben perked up considerably, immediately grabbing a gentle hold of Derek’s hand.

He met Derek’s eyes in a stern look as he put down a cup of juice on the kitchen table. _Don’t you dare tell him too much._ “Ben, come drink your juice.”

“His name is Peter and he’s a very strong and kind Alpha,” Derek said, raising a defiant eyebrow at him. 

He should’ve expected it, really. After all, he’d agreed to bring Derek here to meet his kids. His secrets were bound to spill tonight. But that didn’t mean that any of this was easy for him.

For years he kept it, for years he avoided questions and prying eyes and told his kids the bare minimum on their other parent. The less they knew, the safer it was for them. But with how things were currently developing, that was no longer true. And sooner, rather than later, he’d have to face his past and own up to it.

He closed his eyes for a moment and turned his gaze away from Ben’s prying eyes before slowly nodding at Derek to continue.

“Is papa okay?” Ben’s voice sounded small and unsure. 

It killed him a little to know that he was the reason for Ben’s current distress. All because he made a choice to keep his kids in the dark. Although he’d done it to keep them from harm, it didn’t feel like he’d made the right choice. “I’m fine, buddy. Just haven’t really talked about your daddy in a long time.”

“Why? Is that why he isn’t with us? Did he hurt you?” Ben came over to him and guided him into one of the kitchen chairs before climbing into his lap to cuddle.

“No-” He said softly, “No, god no. Your daddy is a good man, Ben. He’d never hurt me, or you and your siblings.”

“He’s just very sick,” Derek answered, “And he’s been sleeping in the hospital for a long time.”

“Oh,” Ben looked up at him and gently wrapped his arms around Chris’s neck, “Maybe it’ll help if we go see him? Sometimes it makes me feel better to go to someone I like. Like you, or Allison and Jackson, it might help for him too.”

“He’s a real menace all right,” Derek smirked, though his eyes softened a little and he bit at his lip as he thought about Ben’s suggestion. The young man’s eyes turned to him, the question in them clear.

“Had to keep you on your toes,” Chris sighed, burying his nose into Ben’s hair for a moment. “I think that’s a good idea, sport. As a matter of fact, I was going there today anyway.”

“Can I come? And Derek too?” Ben asked. It was too soon to take Ben with him to see Peter and if he could prevent it all from crashing down for one more day, then he’d take it.

A soft ding came from his phone.

“Derek can come, you, however-” He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, checking his texts he found that he had one new message from Allison.

[ **Ally:** Hey dad, not gonna come home after school. Going out with Malia and Jackson. Will stay out until after dinner. Don’t wait up.]

Well, there went that idea. “Have to come because your siblings are out tonight. Great.”

He grumbled under his breath and quickly send a text back to Ally to keep him posted on where they went. He promised himself he wouldn’t turn on the location finders on their phones but in that moment, he considered it. With everything going on he wanted to know where they were at all times and yet, he had to trust his kids to make the right decisions. He kept them off for now and pocketed his phone again.

“I can come?” Ben looked hopeful, staring up at him with wide eyes and a soft smile.

“You can come, but don’t expect much. Your dad’s not gonna wake up tonight, bud.” He didn’t want Ben to get the wrong idea about what this visit was going to be like.

“I know,” Ben replied softly, but there was a silent resolve in his son’s eyes that worried him just a bit.

He sincerely hoped Ben wouldn’t get his hopes up about Peter waking up. Not that he wanted Peter to stay in a coma, don’t get him wrong. But it was one thing to know that Peter wasn’t going to wake up and another to see his children realize it too. He couldn’t bear to see that spark of hope leave their eyes once it was there.

Derek smiled at Ben and kneeled down in front of him. “But we can always hope for another day even if it takes a long time.” Derek’s eyes met his own, “Our family will be one again.”

He gave his nephew a small nod and he smiled at the internal thought. He hadn’t gotten to consider Derek that for a long time, but somehow it felt right to start again. Maybe Derek was right, their family would be one again someday. 

“Speaking of that,” He started, “I need to call Noah, set up a meeting for tonight,” He slowly got up and put down on his seat, “So how about you show Derek where he can get a glass of juice and a snack while I speak to the sheriff?”

“Okay,” Ben nodded diligently and hopped off his seat to grab Derek’s hand and lead him over to the open kitchen. “It’s right here-”

Chris sighed and walked out the back, using the sliding window doors on the other side of the room to get to the backyard. He pulled out his phone once more and dialed up Noah’s number.

“Chris,” Noah answered, “What did you find?”

“Enough,” He said, “And we have a lot to talk about, including the body.”

Noah drew in a breath. “You found the other half?”

“No,” He looked through the window to see Derek and Ben smiling at the kitchen table, some paper and crayons strewn about as they drew together, “But I found the person that buried her.”

“Jesus- You,” Noah whispered, “Who is it?”

He didn’t know where Noah was, but from the sounds of it, he wasn’t alone. “Where are you? Sounds like you’re somewhere busy.”

“I’m at the hospital,” Noah said, “I always visit him on every other Tuesday. I went out to get some coffee since I’m on my own. The kids went out somewhere apparently.”

At that, he chuckled, “Yeah with mine. Ally send me a text. But that’s good, I was heading to him too. Because this isn’t a conversation we should continue over the phone. But let’s just say- it’s someone we know and I’m bringing them.”

“Alright, I’ll pick up two more then, and let the nurses know. What time are you going to be here?” 

He checked on Derek and Ben again, who were completely engrossed in their drawing. “Give me twenty minutes.”

“I’ll see you then.”

He hung up and gathered the boys, strapping Ben in his car seat securely before getting in the driver's seat. Derek got in next to him, Ben’s backpack with toys at his feet. The drive to the long term care facility was a short one and within twenty minutes they walked up the nurses' station and wrote themselves in.

He took another glance at the cameras in the hallway, noting that this time, they were blinking and clearly on. Had they been last time? He couldn’t recall the red light, then again, he hadn’t been paying that much attention after what happened with Nurse Jennifer.

He walked up to Peter’s room, holding Ben’s hand and with Derek behind him as he slowly opened the door and entered first. Noah was already sitting near the bed, a cup of coffee in his hand, and two steaming cups sitting beside him on the bedside table. The druid looked up and seemed surprised to see Ben there with them.

“Hey there sport, I didn’t think you were coming.” Noah gently said as Ben walked up to him and glanced over the edge of the bed where Peter was laying.

“I didn’t have a babysitter, they ran off with your kids,” Chris explained as he walked up beside Ben and gently laid a hand on Noah’s shoulder in greeting.

“I suppose that’s fair, I just didn’t expect it.” Noah shrugged as he stood up and embraced Chris in return. And for a moment he simply breathed in Noah’s scent, resting his nose in the crook of the sheriff’s neck as they sought comfort from one another. It made him feel a whole lot calmer to know that he wasn’t the only one who was hurting and grieving and that he wasn’t alone.

Noah froze and tensed a little and he felt the druid’s head lift off his shoulder. He must have noticed Derek standing a little off to the side. “Derek?”

The sheriff stepped back a little and looked into his eyes. “You said you were bringing-”

He couldn’t look Noah in the eye, knowing that what was coming would devastate him. But not telling him would be far more cruel, far more devastating in the long run. “I am-”

Noah’s eyes flicked to Ben before looking back at him. “Outside, both of you.”

Derek nodded silently, placing Ben’s backpack near Peter’s bed, eyes flicking over his uncle for a brief minute before he left the room. Chris himself paused, pulling Ben’s drawing out of his backpack and a chair over to the bed on Peter’s unburned side. “Ben, I need to step out for-”

“I know, papa. It’s okay, it’s grown-up talk.” Ben answered, grabbing his drawing and climbing up on the chair to show it to Peter. “I’ll stay with daddy and talk to him while you talk too.”

He hesitated, eyes flicking to Peter’s unmoving form. It didn’t feel right, to leave Ben in a room with a comatose parent that he’d never met before. But considering their current situation they didn’t have many other options. “Alright, but if you get scared or need me-”

“I’ll come to get you, I promise,” Ben said, already pointing out figures on his drawing to a non-responsive Peter.

Noah seemed hesitant as well, now that he had a chance to think about what they were about to do he seemed to regret suggesting it. “We’ll be right outside the door, okay?”

“Okay.” Ben nodded without looking away from Peter and his drawing.

They stepped out, closing the door behind them to prevent Ben from leaving the room. Noah led them into a room next door that served as an examination room and locked them in. “What on Earth is going on? And why the fuck would you bring Ben to a conversation like this?”

“I didn’t have a babysitter and I couldn’t leave him at home, Noah. I- Fuck I didn’t plan for this.” He knew he fucked up but he had to make do with what he had. Even if it absolutely sucked balls at the moment.

“Clearly,” Noah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And why the hell are you here? Why aren’t you in New York? What did you do to my crime scene?” 

Derek looked rather uncomfortable with the whole situation. “I- It’s a long story uncle Noah.”

“Then start talking because we left a five-year-old with his comatose father alone in a room. Jesus!” Noah looked at both of them as if he was ready to start hexing people. Judging by the purple in his eyes, that wasn’t too far off either.

“You better start confessing, Son.” He looked at Derek expectantly.

The young wolf’s shoulders dropped as he sighed, “I buried half of the body that you found, because-” 

He paused and Noah’s brow rose impatiently, “Because?”

“Because it was Laura. Laura was killed Sunday night on the preserve.” Derek’s voice broke and stammered as he spoke.

Noah’s face fell into a look of terror and horror. He grabbed the nearest trash can and emptied the contents of his stomach into them. “Tell me that’s not true. No. No- That’s- But then-” 

Chris couldn’t stop tears from falling as the realization of it all finally sunk in. Laura was gone, killed at a young age for god’s know what and she wasn’t coming back. A young life ripped from her family and the world far too early. His kids would never get to know their oldest cousin. He would never get to see her again or hear her laughter.   
“So hunter’s lured Laura in and killed her. The question is why?”

Noah’s breath hitched as a sob left him but he managed to pull himself back together. “Wait, she was lured here?”

“With a revenge spiral, carved into a deer.” Derek whispered, “She was sent a photo from an anonymous number.”

Noah looked white as a sheet as he turned away and ran a hand through his hair. “The mutilated deer was related? Fuck me- “

So that was why Noah hadn’t told him, he simply hadn’t known all the details and hadn’t deemed it important or relevant to the current case.

“And she wasn’t killed by hunters, it was a wolf. Her throat was- it was slashed.” Derek said.

“No, no that doesn’t seem right.” He shook his head, sniffing a little and wiping at the edges of his eyes to clear them of tears, “All the markings on the lower body indicate that hunters killed her and tried to cover it up.”

Noah’s breathing stuttered for a minute, a soft whine coming from the back of his throat.

“This is my fault, If I’d seen- If I’d known…” Noah stared into the nearby distance, seemingly trapped in a spiral of negative thoughts. 

“Hey,” He carefully reached out and cupped Noah’s face in his hands, “This isn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known. Look at me.” Seeing him like this broke his heart and he fought back his own tears, he had to be strong for his mate even if he himself really wanted to break down too right that second.

Noah sobbed softly, slowly laying his head down on his shoulder. He held him there for a moment, letting him sob and cry it out as he clearly needed it before pulling him back. “It’s not your fault. The only one at fault is the person who killed her and took her from us. From our family.”

Slowly, Noah nodded and pulled himself back. “Whoever took her from our family, they’re gonna regret that. I’m going to kill every last one of them. Wolf or hunter. Law be damned.”

To hear Noah say that, shook him a little but he shared the sentiment. They were gonna make whoever did it pay for what they did to their family. Rip them apart like they’d done to them. “Together.”

“Together.” Noah agreed, turning to Derek, “So you better start telling us son, or I will hex you into next Sunday and march you down to the station myself.”

Derek seemed hesitant to say anything, but the look in Noah’s eyes quickly made him spill everything. “I buried her on the Hale property. Underneath a Wolfsbane spiral.” He slowly sighed, “I don’t what killed her but I assumed it was a wolf. It looked like it.”

“We found evidence that suggests otherwise and we really need to look at the full body.” He said, gently rubbing Noah’s back to provide a calming presence to the druid. 

“I can show you where tonight after dark. I’ll cooperate fully with whatever story you want to run.” Derek finally seemed a little more willing to help them out. Maybe finally realizing that having a hunter and the sheriff on his side would do him more good than harm.

“I’m holding you to that,” Noah said, straightening himself out and wiping his mouth with some paper towels before clearing out the bin he’d soiled. “But we should get to Ben before we leave _him_ with a trauma.”

He quickly checked his watch and nodded, “Considering it’s been fifteen minutes, that’s not a bad idea.”

They unlocked the door, got rid of the trash bag in another trashcan down the hall, and returned to Peter’s room. Ben was reading the book he brought with him to Peter, practicing his words and pronunciation whilst occasionally pointing out something in the storybook. 

“How is it Snow White doesn’t pee while in a glass box? That’s weird, right dad?” Ben asked, pointing to the picture of snow white in her glass casket. He didn’t seem too bothered by Peter’s lack of answer to him, merely nodding and chuckling as if he was actually holding a conversation with his father. Either it was the imagination of a child and their ability to overcome most situations or he’d have to have a serious talk with Ben in order to prevent further trauma.

Either way, he felt like a dick for forcing his youngest to go through this situation. Noah had been absolutely right to call him out on it. 

“Hey, sport, everything alright?” He asked as he sat down on the chair next to the bed and scooted a bit closer. 

Ben merely smiled at him and showed him the children’s storybook he’d been trying to read. “Yeah, I’m reading my storybook to dad. I think he likes it.”

He wasn’t too sure what that meant and if Ben could sense what he’d been sensing last time, but he was glad that Ben didn’t seem traumatized or worried in the slightest. Still, he’d keep a good eye on him for the next few days. 

“That’s great, bud. And is that Rabbit that you gave him?” Noticing Ben had squeezed his stuffed wolf under Peter’s burned arm.

“Yeah, I was careful. I didn’t hurt him.” Ben seemed confident in that and he didn’t have the heart to tell him he might have.

“Of course you didn’t.” Noah quickly answered, handing Chris and Derek their cups of coffee. They were lukewarm by now but it was still good coffee and would keep him alert for a bit longer.

Derek reached out for Peter’s unharmed hand, frowning as their skin made contact. His eyes settled on Peter’s and an intense look came across his features. They slowly relaxed, forming an awed expression. 

“He’s still in there-” Derek whispered.

“What?” He’d had his suspicions but to hear Derek speak them as well was something unexpected.

“I can sense him, the wolf. It’s still calling.” Derek said.

Ben nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was saying. He likes it when I talk to him.”

They looked at the child in shock. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he spoke the first words that came to him “You can hear him?”

“Well,” Ben shrugged, “It’s more like I can sense what he feels. I don’t know his thoughts.”

“It’s the wolf in him.” Derek explained, “They’re pack by blood so he can probably sense basic feelings like joy or grief. Like I can sense Uncle Peter is still with us.”

Noah looked up at Derek and took a sip of his cold coffee. “Could you before? When you and Laura left?”

“No.” Derek looked away from them, “I couldn’t sense him after- It’s why we left. We thought- If I’d known-”

“So he’s healing, he’s getting stronger.” He couldn’t actually comprehend that his initial feelings might not be that far out. That Peter was still listening but that he couldn’t do or say anything back to them. “That means-”

“He might wake up one day.” Noah finished for him. The druid seemed unsure what to do with that particular information but he could see Noah’s lips curling up just a little.

“Maybe sooner than we realize.” He could hardly comprehend it, to be honest, and it scared him to think about the potential danger his family could be in. But he was also hopeful, hopeful that his family could be whole again and that one day they wouldn’t have to hide anymore. They could live together in the light.

His phone rang, disturbing his thoughts and he quickly answered it after noticing that it was Allison who’d called. By now evening had fallen and it was nearing dinnertime. So he hadn’t expected a call from his kids yet.

“Allison?” He heard her talk a mile a minute on the other end, out of breath and scared. “Okay, slow down. Slow down, sweetheart. What’s going on?”

“Dad, I’m sorry.” She cried, “I didn’t think- we were just supposed to trail them. I didn’t Stiles and Scott would- Oh god.”

“Allison, what happened?” He pressed again, though her next words turned his veins to ice. He looked to Noah and Derek with wide eyes.

“They dug up a body.” Allison sobbed. It broke his heart to hear her distress but he needed her to listen. “Dad, they dug up half a body. At the Hale house.”

“Allison, listen to me. Don’t leave, I’m coming to you with the sheriff, keep everyone there. You hear me?” Fuck. Fuck! Fuck! He did not want his kids dragged into this! Not like this. Not without explaining it first. “Stay there and wait for us.”

“What’s going on?” Derek looked at him, worry clearly at the forefront of his mind.

“Stay there and keep the rest there. We’re coming.” He pressed again.

“O- Okay dad. I will. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Allison hung up with a soft sob and he silently berated himself for being a jackass to his only daughter. At that moment he felt like the worst parent to walk the earth. Fuck, he’d fucked up.

“We’ve got a problem.” He turned to Noah and Derek, “Stiles and Scott found Laura and dug her up. Allison just called, she saw her too, Jackson, and Malia probably too.”

Noah closed his eyes and hung his head, angrily kicking against his chair. “Shit!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So shit's hitting the fan and from here we'll start diverging from canon more and more. Obviously, large plotlines will be similar but it's gonna start straying from here. It's also gonna become darker from here. Next chapter is mostly about the kids finding out how things actually are and the one after that will feature the road to Friday and the full moon dinner.  
> After that, shit's hitting the fan. Just saying. Things will start getting darker, but at the same time, our three boys will also start getting closer. So it's a bit of a trade-off.
> 
> I'm also reconsidering how dark I want to go actually. I'm keeping the tags up for now but the more I think about it the more I wonder if it'll still fit now that I've changed the story a bit. I think I might raise the stakes and the drama and include a few dark chapters but I'm considering writing a bit of a drama/ thriller instead of a truly dark story. Idk, I'm thinking about it. I kinda like the way where I'm going right now without going dark.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you all think if you're still enjoying it as much as I am!  
> And let me know your thoughts, your theories, your ideas, and questions. I love reading about them and they fuel me even further.  
> This is shaping up to be my longest fic up to date and I can't wait to bring all the little stories together and write a phenomenal finale to this wonderful story.


	8. The best laid plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've ever written. It was 12 K in its rough draft. I've cleaned it up a little, ran it through a spelling and grammar check, and polished some sentences. So on that front, it should work well. I'm very proud of this chapter and how it ends, so I hope you enjoy it as immensely as I did.
> 
> Although near the end there I was getting a bit antsy to end it, as you may notice XD

**Tuesday, 2:30 pm**

He couldn’t sit still as he considered all the possible places were Scott and Stiles could have run off to. He bit his lip, foot tapping against the ground until Allison finally kicked him under the table. “Did something crawl up your ass and die?”

“What? No.” He glared at his twin and started to pack up after sending a look to Malia. “I just- I’m not feeling so well.”

He felt fine and judging by the way Allison looked at him, with a complete deadpan, she didn’t believe a single word he’d just said. Neither did Lydia or Danny but they seemed willing to let things slide. Allison, however, didn’t.

“Sure…” She drawled it out, raising an eyebrow at Malia, who shrugged apologetically. “Let’s get you checked out by a nurse then, Malia can help me drag your ass over.”

He wanted to snark back but he bit back his remark because this was the perfect opportunity to get out of dodge and after Scott and Stiles. They could still catch up and find out whatever it was that those idiots were hiding.

“You know what, maybe that isn’t such a bad idea.”

The way Allison looked at him then cemented his suspicion that the jig was up. She knew him better than anyone and she knew that if he ever went willingly to a doctor, he was practically dying. She didn’t say anything in front of Lydia or Danny though. Merely grabbed her book bag and waited for him to grab his before guiding him out the door, Malia on their heels.

“We’ll cover for you,” Danny said after he shared a look with Lydia.

He nodded at his newfound friend in thanks and let his sister guide him out. 

Once they were outside the school, standing near their bikes, his sister turned on him. “You have five seconds to explain yourselves before I call dad and tell him you’re the one who shot down that drone with dad’s gun back in Sacramento, even though you weren’t supposed to be anywhere near those guns.”

He couldn’t believe she’d just said that out loud in front of Malia. “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone that-”

“And you promised never to keep secrets from me and yet, here we are.” Allison crossed her arms and shot him a look, one that clearly said; Spill.

“Alright,” He didn’t have much of a choice and maybe he could rope in Ali to solve this goddamn mystery with him. The odds on that were low, but it was worth a shot. “But not here.”

“I think I know where my brother and Scott went,” Malia said, “We could tell her on the way. I’ll send my dad a text.”

“You want me to come with you to god knows where?”

When Ali put it that way, he could see why she’d be reluctant to do it. But it seemed curiosity got the better of her. 

“Fine,” She sighed and grabbed him by the arm as Malia led them to a Silver Toyota Camry. They piled in, Allison in the passenger seat and Jackson on the backseat in the middle, put their seat belts on, and drove off.

“You better start talking, or I swear-” Allison glared at him as soon as they left school grounds.

“Alright, so this will sound crazy-” He started.

“Crazier than when you thought a vampire was chasing us in Carson City?” Allison asked. He really wanted to punch his sister at that moment.

“There was one chasing us, he tried to bite me.” He bit back, and he would stick with that story. As crazy as that sounded.

“That was a crackhead. The guy was high.” Allison rolled her eyes but motioned for him to continue talking.

“Considering everything, I’m willing to bet that _was_ a vampire…” He muttered, “Anyway, this will sound crazy but I think something weird is going on in Beacon Hills and dad knows about it.”

“What?” Allison scoffed, “Are you insane?”

“Look listen- I know. It’s crazy. But I’ve been thinking about all of this all night. We returned to our birth town to ‘start a new life’.” He scoffed, “Who does that? Like, Gerard or Aunt Kate wouldn’t know about it? And dad tells us no one will know who we are, yet we were born here, so how does that make sense? And dad knows people, he knows the sheriff. Someone he never told us about and he won’t tell us about either. He won’t tell us why we came back, why we’re running from family. Or why ‘taking a break’ from our former life is even necessary.” 

He let it sink for a moment, watching as the wheels in Allison’s head started turning as well. “So dad’s a liar but why do you think something weird is going on? How does-?”

“Yeah but that’s not all, he’s never told us about our father. When I asked the sheriff about his kids and the connection to us, he went quiet and dad interrupted me.” 

He sat up a little straighter, eyes flicking to Malia. “You know I’ve been thinking. Malia and Stiles were born two months later than us, right? And their father knew dad. What if, and that’s why no one wants to tell us anything, what if they shared an Alpha. What if this Peter Hale guy, what if he’s our father too. And the reason no wants to tell us anything is that something must have happened between the families. Like the Argents and the Hales.”

The car jerked a little at that moment as Malia nearly steered the car off the road and jerked back. “Sorry.”

Allison looked at her friend, taking in Malia’s wide eyes and the way her hands curled around the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. “Wait-” She stared at the both of them as if she couldn’t believe them. 

Truth be told, she probably couldn’t, and Jackson was known for making absolutely wild and crazy connections. He was a smart guy, alright? And people had trouble following that sometimes.

“That’s insane, even for you.” Her eyes flicked back to Malia, “Is he right? Is there any truth in that?”

“I-” Malia fidgeted in her seat and did her best to drive straight ahead and stick to the road. “I don’t know. Honestly. Not all of it.”

“All of it? But you know some?” Allison took a look at him, she clearly couldn’t comprehend everything and didn’t seem to believe him. But if Malia backed him up on some of it, she might be able to be swayed.

Malia sighed and looked at him in defeat through the rearview mirror. “He’s not wrong. My dad, Peter, did know your dad and mine. They were friends in high school. I don’t know if your dad and mine dated too, pops never wanted to talk about that. Especially not after the fire. But I remember seeing a picture on the mantle at dad’s house, the Hale house. I think your dad might have been in it? They all looked really young though, so I’m not sure. I mean- it’s possible.”

“Why would they hide it? What would that achieve? That’s insane!” Allison looked between the two of them in disbelief.

“Because the Hales and the Argents are at war. They never got along until your dad met mine. Pops used to tell me those stories every night before bedtime.”

That actually sounded a bit horrifying but also very intriguing. “Why?” he asked.

“Because the Argents hunt those that are different,” Malia said.

And it clicked. The reason why they left San Fransisco, why Ben’s room had a black painted line in it. Ben’s eyes had been glowing yellow last night. “Ben’s different too isn’t he? Like you.”

Allison looked at him as if he’d finally snapped and was ready for the asylum.

“He is,” Malia softly confessed, and that made all the difference for both of them. “He’s like me. He’s different.”

“Different? Different how?” Allison cocked her head to the side, leaning back in her chair as she went over everything her brother had speculated. It sounded insane, absolutely crazy. And for all she knew this was still an incredible elaborate prank from both of them. But it all made sense in some weird twisted way.

“Because dad’s family would’ve killed him if they knew and that’s why we moved,” He said just as Malia took a turn into the preserve. “Because Ben is not human. That’s the only explanation.”

Allison shot him another look in disbelief. “No it’s not- It’s-” She seemed to struggle with her words for a moment, “I’ll give it to you that your reasoning sounds plausible on the whole dad and the sheriff thing. But that does not explain _how **Ben or Malia**_ are supposedly not human or why we’re turning into the preserve. What is up with that?”

“Because Stiles and Scott? They know something is going on too and they’re in the middle of it. I don’t what they’re doing, but something is up with them.” Jackson looked at Malia for back up. “Right?”

“I heard them talking last night about going to dad’s old house, it’s on the preserve.” Malia clarified, “Thing is, there’s nothing out here anymore. It all burned down. So it didn’t make much sense until they sneaked away while we were in the library. I think they found something out here and it has to do with what happened a couple of nights ago.”

Allison sputtered as Malia pulled up behind Stiles’s old jeep and got out of her car, Jackson on her heels. “That didn’t answer anything, and what happened a few nights ago?” She looked to her brother, “Why aren’t you worked up about this? Are you just okay with all of this?”

He wasn’t. Truth be told he was freaking out about his own wild theories and sincerely hoped that was all they were. Theories. Because the very idea and that Stiles and Malia were half-siblings that they never knew about was enough to make his head spin. But he needed to unravel the mystery. He needed to know what was going on and if any of his instincts were correct. “No,” He sighed, “But I need to know if what I suspect is right and if Stiles and Scott are doing something sketchy. And I need to know why dad would lie for so long and hide things he didn’t need to. And honestly, that’s the only thing driving me forward right now.” 

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to suppress some of his emotions. He was scared, terrified of what he would find. And he was unsure and hurt and didn’t know how to process his own thoughts but the overwhelming need to find out was stronger right now. He needed to now. “I am not okay, I don’t think I will be for a long time if I’m honest.”

Allison seemed to think on that for a bit before reaching out and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “We’ll figure it out, we always do.”

“Long as we stick together.” He muttered, burying his nose into her hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Together.” She replied and punched him in the arm for his efforts. “That’s for dragging me into this mess.”

He grunted softly and rubbed his arm as he glared at her. “As if you could have stayed out, shrimp.”

“You’d be dead in a heartbeat without me.” She grinned at him, one he couldn’t help but return as they stalked after Malia to the back of the burned down house. He saw her take out her phone to text their dad as they walked over.

“Bitch please.” He muttered back, dropping down low as Malia did as they walked up to a pair of shovels and some upturned earth on the ground. Stiles and Scott though were nowhere to be seen. 

“Someone was here recently-” He pointed out two sets of footprints that led from the dig site to the back of the house, “-and took off in that direction.”

“They’re not driving away though, Malia parked her car right behind the jeep. They’re not getting past it.” Allison walked around the site and tilted her head as she spotted a little purple flower sticking out. “Huh, that’s odd though.”

He followed her line of sight and bend down next to the flower, carefully studying it. Purple hoods for petals, multiple flowers together on one stem. He saw this before, in one of his dad’s botany books. This flower was used as a natural poison back in the day. “It’s aconite. It was in one of dad’s botany books.”

“Aconite? Like the poison?” Allison seemed intrigued by it as well, though she took a step back from it.

“It’s also known as monkshood or wolfsbane,” Malia added, taking a few steps back from the flower. “It’s usually not planted around here.”

“So why is it here? And why are Stiles and Scott digging near it?” Allison asked, looking around for any sign of the two.

It was weird for them to come here and then scram. Unless they were digging something up that no one was supposed to know about. Something illegal or dangerous perhaps? And as much as he wanted to know what that was, he wasn’t going to risk his own skin for it. 

“We should call dad or the sheriff. Let them know what’s going on.” -He didn’t get to finish his sentence for a growl sounded from above and something came barreling towards him. His first instinct was to grab Allison and protect her from whatever was jumping on him. He pushed her, hard enough to make her fall out of the way and onto the upturned soil, and proceeded to catch whatever it was that had jumped him.

He grasped at the creature's arms, trying to keep it from clawing his face or body. The creature's eyes, as yellow as they were, seemed familiar and he was sure he’d seen that facial structure before. Was that Scott? It was hard to tell, with the extra ridges on its face, the fangs, and the pointed ears, but he was sure that was who had jumped him. Scott, who was now trying to claw his face off for some reason.

He heard Allison scream and Malia snarl, the sound so animalistic that it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. But he had a raging transformed Scott to deal with and he wasn’t doing it so well as he felt a pair of claws slice through the skin of his left arm. He cried out, heard the metal ring of something hitting Scott in the head, and felt something lift Scott off him.

He kicked himself back and slowly got back up on his feet as he watched Malia and Scott deck it out. Both of them had transformed faces now and he watched in horrid fascination as Malia flipped Scott over and bit him hard at the back of his neck. He looked to his left, were Allison stood rooted in her spot with a shovel in her hands. So that’s what hit Scott in the face. 

Scott cried out in pain and maybe even a hint of fear and shoved his arm back to get Malia off of him. It worked, Malia hadn’t seen it coming and she stumbled back a few steps with a grunt. Malia took a stance in front of Allison and himself, her back to them and clearly shielding them from Scott’s madness. 

The two creatures growled at each other, ready to strike out once again when Stiles burst through and stood between them, eyes glowing purple and arms stretched out. “Stop! Please just stop!”

Stiles looked back at Scott, keeping his sister at bay by placing a hand on her chest. “Scott, just stop. It’s Malia.”

“Stiles,” Scott’s voice sounded lisped because of his fangs but slightly deeper than normal. The whole situation was rather freaky truth be told, “We can’t let them call your dad not until we know for sure, what if everyone is in danger? And they’re making it worse?”

Ok, he didn’t just hear McCall say that. McCall could not be-, actually no wait, that sounded exactly like the level of stupidity that McCall had in him. He could believe that those words had come from McCall. Still, he was kinda freaking out and the fact that Stiles was the only one between Malia and Scott didn’t ease those feelings whatsoever.

“We’re making it worse? Scott, you attacked us!” Allison finally snapped out of her panicked mind and glared at the two boys. “What the hell are you two thinking? Why haven’t you told anyone what you’re doing? What are you two doing anyway?” 

She seemed to consider her words for a minute, “Actually, if this _is_ something illegal then I don’t want to know.” She turned to him and Malia. “We should call our dads.

He looked down at his bleeding arm and had to agree with his sibling for once. It had all been fun and games before people got hurt but maybe they were all in over their heads and needed help. “That’s not a bad idea.” 

Malia looked up, her features back to normal at this point as she quickly looked over and gently grabbed a hold of his arm. “I have a first aid kit in my car. I’m going to grab that. Don’t move.”

“Wouldn’t fucking dream of it.” He bit back, though he recognized she was just trying to help. He glared at Scott and Stiles and couldn’t help but feel resentment. He didn’t know what they were but they were stronger than him, Scott had him pinned down in a heartbeat. And although he managed to hold out against him for a few minutes, he really was no match for McCall for more than that. How in the world was that possible?

“What are you? What’s- Malia?” He asked as Allison carefully checked out the scratch on his arm.

Scott’s features slowly changed back and Stiles finally relaxed his stance a little. His eyes going back to their usual brown. “I’m- I’m-.”

Malia returned with her first aid kit and cleaned the wound on his arm before she bandaged it. He hissed at the cleaning but he allowed her to wrap his wound and stop his bleeding. “We’re werewolves,” Malia said. “Scott and I both are. I inherited it from my father, Peter. Scott was bitten a few nights ago.”

Malia sighed as she finished bandaging him up. “We should’ve told dad everything then.”

Holy shit that meant that Ben- Oh my god he didn’t want to chase that train of thought. Not now, not ever. Hell no.

“No, are you insane?” Scott snapped, “Even if he believes-”

“Scott, he was dating a werewolf!” Malia snapped back. “He knows, my dad knows everything about the supernatural.” She pointed to Allison and Jackson. “ _Their_ dad knows everything about the supernatural. The fact that Stiles humored you to go along with your stupid little expeditions is bad enough but this has to end!”

“They don’t know what’s out there. Something turned me! It could turn my mom or your dad!” Scott seemed genuinely scared of it. Whatever had bitten him had left a mark on him mentally. And that didn’t really surprise him. Considering he was still reeling from Scott jumping him, he could only imagine what it must have felt like for Scott to get bitten by a werewolf.

“I think our parents should have a better understanding of this then we do. If everything I’ve heard today isn’t a prank and this is actually real, then I’m going to slap dad across the face and scream for the next five years.” Allison buried her head in her hands and massaged her temples. Clearly everything had become too much for her and he couldn’t really blame her for it either.

“What were you thinking Stiles? Why didn’t you tell me what you were up to? I could’ve helped Scott. Dad could’ve helped.” Malia stared at her brother, her eyes sad and there was a certain pain in her stance. He could only imagine what this must be like for her, to be betrayed by a sibling your shared a womb with must be like being kicked in the face.

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I thought I could handle it. I’m supposed to be like dad and I thought I could be.” Stiles replied, slowly looking at his feet. “I was wrong, I’m sorry Mali.”

Malia sighed and closed the distance between them before punching Stiles in the arm. “Well, next time don’t be so fucking stupid.”  
She wrapped her arms around him in a brief hug. “I don’t want to lose _you_ , you moron.”

He still didn’t understand why they were out here and now that things had calmed down a little, he was curious to find out. “So is anyone going to explain the shovels or why we’re here? I mean, I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I was right and that something weird was going on in Beacon Hills. But that also means I’m probably right about the other things and I am not ready to accept that and would rather focus on anything else.”

Stiles gave him a funny look, raising an eyebrow at his sister. “What’s _he_ talking about?”

“It’s a long story.” Malia quickly said, clearly ready to move on from that particular train of thought as well. “What are you doing at dad’s old house anyway?”

“We think that whatever bit me, killed that Alpha girl a couple of nights ago. I think it was Derek Hale, he’s been really sketchy.” Scott answered.

Malia stared at him as if he’d gone insane, turning that deadpan look to Stiles. “Really? You two think Derek- our Derek? Cousin Derek? Killed someone?”

Stiles looked like he was going to answer that, thought on it for a minute and shrugged. “I told him it was unlikely. But then we found the dirt and well-”

“You had to check it out, didn’t you?” Malia didn’t even seem surprised at that. And Stiles just gave her an apologetic look. “Oh my god, you two are so stupid.”

“Seconded.” He drawled, earning a glare from both Stiles and Scott. But honestly, he didn’t care. He just wanted to uncover the mystery and get out.

“So-” Allison paused and she shared a look with him. Wait a fucking second… It dawned on him then what they were looking at and he paled a bit. Digging up treasure or evidence was one thing. But this?

“You’re digging up- a body?” He asked. He shouldn’t be surprised but- well you didn’t get to hear something like this every day of the week.

“This has to be a really bad and sick joke.” He heard Allison mutter beside him and for once, he completely agreed. He couldn’t watch this, didn’t want to see what they were going to dig up, and walked off a little to the side to gain his composure. Allison joined him.

Malia looked at her brother very closely before sighing. “Fine, fucking prove it then. Derek’s not a killer and you won’t find a fucking body in there. But go the fuck ahead and dig you, idiots. It will keep you busy at least.”

He looked up as Malia approached him and Allison from where they were sitting on the hood of Malia’s car. “Are we seriously just gonna hang around until your brother and his idiot dig something up? Potentially a body?”

Malia merely smiled and sighed softly, “You do realize that by your own theories, he’s your brother too right?”

He didn’t find that funny in the slightest. As a matter of fact, he was already cursing himself and his brain for ever coming up with that theory. “I’m doing my best to forget that particular theory.”

“It can’t be all bad, that theory of yours?” Malia shrugged as she sat down beside him. “Means you’d gain another sister too.”

“And that’s better?” He couldn’t see it. But apparently both Allison and Malia could, for he got a punch to the ribs from both of the girls.

“Rude.” Ali bit back, just as Malia scoffed at his words.

“I for one wouldn’t mind having a sister. I’ve had to spend my life surrounded by the boys. It would be nice to have someone to talk girl stuff with.” Allison said, smiling at Malia despite their situation. 

He suddenly had a great urge to just scram and help digging but the mere idea that those two were actually digging up a body was enough to just keep him in between the girls. “Awesome.”

“I wouldn’t mind either, though having Jackson as brother sounds _so_ tiring,” Malia smirked at Allison, the both of them looking at him rather smug.

He knew what they were doing. He was already sick of it and of ever bringing up their potential relation. Fucking hell let him be wrong about something for once, he could accept it this one time. 

“Still better than Stiles.” He glared back at her, though it was hard not to return her infectious little smile. 

“Guess that’s true. As much as I love my brother, he’s- special.” Malia shrugged.

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Allison laid her head on his shoulder and sighed as he laid his cheek on top of her head.

“It’s what I’ve always called it.” Malia laid her head on his other shoulder and checked out his bandage. It was a bit red but the bleeding seemed to have stopped for now.

“We’re really just gonna let them dig up a body?” He still couldn’t believe it. All of it really but that especially seemed absolutely crazy to him. Yes, he’d wanted to chase the mystery, he wanted to know what was going on but he hadn’t been prepared to actually face any of it. He just wanted to go home, back to a time where he didn’t have to deal with werewolves and hidden parents or family and could just bitch to his dad about his choice of ties or bad fitting shirts. That seemed like a far simpler time now, even if it had been less than a week since then.

“They’re not gonna dig up a body. It’s probably just- I don’t know. Treasure someone buried.” Malia said though he could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

The three of them sat there, contemplating their life choices and talking about how they were going to explain this away to their parents as darkness slowly began falling around them. Two identical shouts of joy eventually rose from where Scott and Stiles had been digging. He carefully untangled himself from the girls to walk over where the idiots were reaching into the hole and took a peek into it.

He did not scream.

He would never, ever admit to having screamed. It wasn’t high pitched and it didn’t break off. It wasn’t a scream, to begin with.

But he was absolutely looking at the upper body of a black wolf in an unwrapped piece of tarp. Scott was looking at it in confusion and Stiles- Stiles was frozen in place. Eyes wide, pupils blown and for a moment he swore the idiot wasn’t even breathing before a sob suddenly rose from his throat.

“That’s- no…” Stiles clamped a hand over his mouth and staggered back, just as Malia walked up to them.

Malia definitely screamed. She screamed, cried, and grabbed a hold of Stiles as her eyes fixated on the wolf’s head. “No-” She sobbed. He could see her pain, agony even. And although he had no idea why she’s was agonizing over a wolf unless that wolf wasn’t just a wolf. Considering he’d just learned about the existence of werewolves and how both Stiles and Malia reacted to seeing the wolf’s head, he wouldn’t be surprised if werewolves could also fully shift. And that meant-

He was looking at the corpse of an actual person. Someone Stiles and Malia had known. He staggered back, tripping over something buried just beneath the sand. When he finally got his bearings he saw the purple wolfsbane flower wrapped around his foot with rope and noticed the other end of it going into the sand. 

Although he heard the saying; curiosity killed the cat. He couldn’t resist and slowly pulled the rope up until the ground beneath them glowed orange in a spiral. He dropped the rope in shock, almost bumping into Allison who’d come over when she heard all the commotion.

Allison’s scream cut through the darkness. He felt her grab on and sob into his chest as he watched the empty lifeless eyes of the young woman in the hole. Only her upper body laid there, her lower half was missing. He felt bile rise in his throat, his heart hammering in his chest and everything in him just wanted to start running and never stop.

He didn’t.

He merely held on to his sister and let her cry, feeling lonely tears roll down his own cheek. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction definitely did not bring it back this time. He couldn’t believe it, they’d actually dug up a body. Not even a full-body but half a body at that. It was too surreal. 

He didn’t want to be right anymore. He wanted to go back to their time in Carson City when nobody believed him about the vampires living there, and his dad had just waived it all away and told him it was an overactive imagination. It really fucking wasn’t his imagination anymore, now was it?

Allison stirred against him and started reaching for something in her pocket. Her phone. He realized quickly and he nodded at her in support. It was time to call an actual adult. As they should have done a while ago. Not that he’d ever admit out loud that she’d been right.

He looked over to Malia and Stiles who were still distraught and holding on to one another. And to Scott who just sniffing and studying away and honestly giving him the creeps with his behavior. He’d pick a crying Stiles over a creepy Scott any fucking day of the week. Although he couldn’t believe he was actually thinking that.

He walked over and gently laid a hand on both of their shoulders, suddenly finding himself with two distraught peers clinging to him. As much as he disliked Stiles Stilinski, seeing him this distraught was hard. He laid his head on top of Malia’s, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Stiles had laid his head in the crook of his neck and he awkwardly patted the other boy’s back to comfort him.

“I didn’t know.” 

He frowned at looked at Stiles, “Didn’t know what?”

“I didn’t know it was Laura, I would never- I’d have called dad.” The teenager sobbed into his shoulder.

“I know.” Malia dried her tears and reached out for her brother’s hand. “I know you would have. You’re stupid but not that stupid.”

That made both of them chuckle and they stepped back from him to embrace one another yet again. He felt like an intruder and tried to step back but was quickly grabbed by both the twins to keep him around. So he was stuck now, fantastic.

“You’re a part of this now, dude,” Stiles said, sniffing just a little but he seemed a lot more calm. 

Thank god someone had dried out of tears because he could hear Allison crying into her phone a little off to the side. “Yeah, well. There are more people around who need my fantastic comforting skills.” He drawled.

They reluctantly let him go, huddled together for warmth and comfort. He walked past Scott, who was now looking at the broken spiral and shook his head at the behavior. Scott would be dealt with soon enough, once they’d all had a chance to chill for a minute.

First, he needed to be there for his sister too. “Ali?”

She looked at him like the world had just ended. And really in a way it had. He honestly had no idea how he was keeping himself together. Maybe out of pure necessity. 

“What the hell is happening? Why?” She whispered, her voice breaking as tears rolled down. He honestly didn’t have an answer and honestly, he was the reason why she was crying. If he hadn’t gone after Stiles and Scott, if he had managed to subdue his never-ending need for answers, maybe he could have spared her the pain of having to see all of this.

Maybe that was why dad had kept all those secrets. Not that this made it okay but he kind of understood as he watched his sister cry her heart out.

“I don’t know,” He sighed and wrapped his arms around her and held her close, “I just don’t know.” But oh how he wished he could turn back the time and protect her from all of it. He shouldn’t have dragged her into this. He’d never forgive himself for dragging her into this. He just couldn’t fucking help himself, now could he? He had to know the truth even if it hurt and brought down everyone around him. He’d never hated himself more as he looked into the pained, tear-filled eyes of his twin and rested his forehead against hers. He was the reason she was hurt.

Darkness fell around them and before long two pairs of headlights started coming up the driveway. Car doors opened and closed and he heard familiar voices rise up from the darkness. “Jax? Ali?”

“Malia? Stiles?”

Dad and sheriff jogged up to them, fear, concern, and thinly veiled anger apparent in their eyes. “Thank god.”

“How in the world did you get yourselves into this? Actually, don’t answer that.” The sheriff wrapped his arms around his kids and pulled them close. As angry as he seemed to be, he was more grateful that both of his kids were still in one piece. A sentiment that dad seemed to share with him.

“Off all the stupid things the two of you did-” Dad’s arms wrapped around them, kisses were pressed to their foreheads and for a moment he simply buried his face into his father’s shoulder and let himself be held. Dad was here now and this whole ordeal would be one bad dream if he woke up. It had to be a nightmare, all of it.

Except it wasn’t. 

When he opened his eyes again they were still at the Hale house, standing in the darkness while their dad held them close. All of this was real.

He felt his anger rising, like a liquid boiling over as he realized how much dad had lied to him, to them. He’d hidden an entire world from them, kept them in the dark, and didn’t trust them with information that could have kept them out of trouble. Maybe even save their lives in the future. Dad didn’t trust them, he lied, he hid a part of their identity and past that he would never have known about if he didn’t stick his nose into places they didn’t belong. And that just pissed him off beyond belief.

He stepped back and finally let his tears spill as he looked into dad’s eyes and saw the broken look in them. He knew. And he knew what was coming.

“Why?” He couldn’t comprehend any of it, the lies, the secrecy. He just wanted to lash out.

“Jackson-” His dad’s voice was soft and sounded broken and there was a fear in his eyes that felt like a stab to the heart.

“You lied to me. To us.” Angry tears rolled down his cheek, his shoulders shook. “You lied about everything.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Allison whispered. She’d taken a step back as well. “Would that have been worse than this?”

The last time he saw dad cry like this was when Ben was in the NICU right after his birth and they were afraid he wasn’t going to make it. They were tears of fear, sorrow, and regret. “No- no it wouldn’t have been. I never meant for you to find out like this,” He whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t have a right to be sorry. And in his anger he lashed out, banging his fists against his dad’s chest and shoulders. “No you’re not, you lied! You lied about everything! You lied about us, who we are. About our past and what we are. You fucking lied and you didn’t care because it suited you just fine.”

He kept pounding, anger, and sorrow slowly draining out of him as sobs slowly took over. Why wasn’t dad fighting back? Why was he just taking it? He wanted him to fight back, to get angry at him. But he didn’t. He just let him work it out and get his frustration out. Until he had nothing left in him to fight and he just collapsed against dad’s chest and sobbed. 

It was all too much. Everything. Werewolves were real, they just dug up half a dead body. And Stiles might be his half brother. This had to be the worst night of his life. 

Dad’s arms wrapped around him as he sobbed into his shoulder, fingers threading through his hair.

“You’re right,” Dad whispered eventually, “It was easier and it was wrong. I thought if I kept it all hidden I could protect you. And I was wrong for doing that. I should have told you both, I should have trusted you to make the right decisions on your own. I was scared of losing you and because of that, I tried to keep important information from you. And not trusting you or Allison, that was the biggest mistake of my life.”

He wanted to stay angry, he wanted to scream and shout and kick and bite. But all the fight left him as soon as dad admitted his wrongdoings. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to tell you everything,” Dad said, “As I should have done years ago.”

Allison sniffed softly behind him, her arms wrapped around herself. “Yeah-” She chuckled softly, “You should have. I still can’t believe werewolves are real.”

Dad held out an arm and gently guided Ali in as well. “Werewolves, Vampires, Wendigos, Druids, and a whole lot more.”

He wiped his tears on his sleeve and looked into dad’s eyes. “So the crackhead in Carson City?”

Dad bit his lip and sighed, “That was a vampire.”

“I knew it.” At least that was one thing he’d been right about all these fucking years, not that it mattered much. But it was nice to know he hadn’t been reaching. 

“That’s not all, is it? There’s more?” Allison asked, looking up at dad expectantly.

Dad sighed and nodded slowly, “There is and I will tell you everything when we get home. I promise.”

He gave dad a long, hard, look. Not sure if he should believe it and by the looks of it, Allison agreed with him on that one. Dad’s gaze then fixed on his bandaged arm and slowly lifted it to inspect the bandaged wound. He merely shrugged, it honestly didn’t hurt anymore and the bleeding had stopped. “It’s just a scratch, it’s not deep.” 

“I’ll have a look at that when we get home,” Dad said.

A yelp from Scott drew their attention away for a minute though and dad stalked over to their classmate, flashlight in hand.

“What do you have there, son?” He knew that tone, dad’s no-nonsense tone that indicated your demise. 

Scott dropped the rope he’d grabbed and looked down at his hands which had healing burn marks on them. Interestingly, werewolves like Scott seemed to have an allergic reaction of sorts to the purple wolfsbane that was bound to the rope. Or at least, that was the most logical conclusion he could draw.

“I- We found it?” Scott squirmed a little under dad’s thoughtful gaze and kept glancing at Stiles for support. Though the other idiot was currently far too busy with apologizing to the brooding dark-haired young man that the sheriff and dad had brought with them.

“Scott, you’re already in over your head and in huge trouble. There’s no reason to hide things anymore, son.” The sheriff gently scolded him while holding Malia close to him and checking her over for injuries.

“Scott, as in Scott McCall? Melissa’s kid?” The look dad gave Scott was honestly golden, especially since his _no-nonsense spill the beans look_ wasn’t directed at him for once but at the little shit.

“You know my mom?” Scott looked like he was ready to sink through the dirt. “Shit.”

“Language, son.” His dad sighed, “And quite well. Now are you going to tell me why you’re digging up a crime scene in the middle of the woods or am I gonna have to call your mother?”

“No! I-” Scott started squirming, “I thought Derek- and the body. I just- I thought he killed her and buried her to hide evidence. I mean I’m pretty sure he’s the one who bit me anyway and-”

Dad held up a hand to silence Scott in his rambling and turned to the dark-haired young man that had his arms now wrapped around Stiles in a hug. “Derek show me your eyes.”

The young man obliged, his eyes glowing a bright blue for a brief moment. He wondered what that meant for that was a different color than Scott’s or Malia’s yellow eyes and that was interesting. 

Dad nodded though. “He’s not the one who bit you. Derek’s eyes are those of a Beta. You were bitten by an Alpha and I think I know where said Alpha is based.” 

Dad and the sheriff shared a knowing look. 

“Is this part of the explanation you’re going to give? Or should I throw another tantrum right now?” He drawled. Honestly, he was cold, tired, hurt and he really just wanted to know what the hell was going on with their family.

“Unless you want this conversation near a dead body, we’ll explain it all when we get home.” Dad said, gently grabbing a hold of Scott by his shoulder to lead him away from the grave. He noticed his father wasn’t looking into it, as if he was actively avoiding it. Did he know that girl?

“I’m gonna put you in my car and since my five-year-old son is in there. I trust you will behave, Scott.” Dad turned to him. “Jackson, I want you to keep an eye on Scott and your brother. Malia, Allison, you’ll take Malia’s car back to our house. Derek, you take Stiles in the jeep.”

He let it slide for now, though he did raise an eyebrow at dad’s request. He didn’t want to stay in a car with Scott, especially not if Ben was also there. But the promise of finding out the truth was compelling enough to keep him compliant. For now.

-

Chris and Derek guided the teenagers to the cars and let them get in. He quickly checked on Ben in the backseat and smiled when he noticed that Ben had dozed off and thankfully hadn’t caught much of the drama going on around him. He did however, glare at Scott to put a healthy amount of fear in the boy. Maybe that would keep him quiet enough to stay out of trouble for the time being.

Derek walked up to him after he put Stiles in the passenger seat of the jeep and made sure Malia and Allison were in Malia’s car. “What are you gonna do about Laura? What are you and Uncle Noah going to tell the police?”

He sighed softly, he honestly didn’t know what they’d do. They’d have to report it, of course. And find a way to deal with the aftermath. “I honestly don’t know. But we’ll figure this and everything else out. First, we deal with Laura, then the kids and then we’ll go after the Alpha that turned Scott and is causing this giant mess.”

“You said you knew where he was based?” Derek seemed genuinely interested in it and that sparked a thought.

“If I point you to the last tracks we saw, do you think you can sniff him down?” It was a long shot, but it was a possibility.

“I might, depends on how diluted the scent is.” Derek shrugged.

“It’s worth a shot. I’ll talk to Noah about it. Stay here with the kids for a minute, make sure they stay put.”

He didn’t wait for an answer and walked back to Noah, who was staring at Laura’s lifeless body as if he was frozen in space and time. 

“I remember how she used to climb on my back and command me to run around the living room,” Noah whispered as he studied the damaged and mutilated body. “She was so full of life, of spirit. And now-”

“John used to scold you for indulging her but Peter loved you for it. She was a wild and carefree kid.” He remembered those days vividly and with great fondness. If only those days could have lasted a lifetime.

“They both did. And now it’s up to us to figure out what happened to her and what we’re going to do…” Noah let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes, “What are we gonna do? Jesus-”

“I want to have a look at her body, see if my theory still holds up. Aside from that, you’re the sheriff.”

“Yeah,” Noah didn’t really seem to comprehend anything but he nodded anyway, “Yeah, of course. I just- fucking hell…” Noah buried his hands in his hair and let himself sink to his knees a little bit away from the grave, outside the spiral.

He hurried over and steadied the sheriff with a hand on his chest as he sunk down behind the sheriff and pulled him close. He felt Noah’s sobs go through his body as he held him, felt his own shoulders shake as tears ran down his face. Noah’s arms crossed over his, his fingers digging into his wrist and elbow as he clutched at Chris in his grief. He slowly buried his face in the back of Noah’s neck and held on to him.

Minutes passed, though for them it felt like hours or even days. For the darkness of their minds could no longer tell apart the time or even the space they inhabited. With every passing moment, he could see all he had lost and all that he would lose in days yet to come. Laura was just the horrifying reminder that all that he loved could be taken from him. And there was nothing he could do but prepare and pray that it was enough. 

The time to hide was over. The time to fight back against this monstrous force had come. And as he lifted his head and stared into Noah’s purple eyes, he realized, he was ready to face all of it. He felt Noah’s fingers on his cheek, the tips of them glowing with a warm light. As always, Noah was his way out of a dark mind and he leaned into the light gratefully, letting it warm him from the inside out as he pressed a kiss to Noah’s temple.

“We’re going to make them pay for taking her.” He whispered into Noah’s ear.

“Every last one of them.” Noah agreed.

Slowly they untangled themselves from one another, taking a deep breath as they rose and faced one another. 

“You should examine the body for clues, then take Derek and the kids back to your place. I’ll call it in as an anonymous tip, meet you back at your place when the police proceedings are done.” The sheriff took a few deep breaths to steady himself and squared his shoulders as he walked towards the police cruiser, presumably to contact the office.

Chris in the meantime walked towards the body and kneeled down next to the grave. He studied her body for a moment or two, noticing that her throat bore markings in the front and showed signs of being torn, the deep scratches that went across her back and the way the torn flesh of her abdomen curled inward at the stomach and the showed frays outward in the back. Judging by that, there had been either one or two attackers. 

Either someone had slashed her throat first and then cut her in half whilst standing in front of her. Or someone had slashed her throat from behind and once she was laying down had slashed her in half. The scratches on her back looked like they’d been inflicted post-mortem. But it was hard to tell from this angle.

That, combined by what had been done to her lower body pointed towards a hunter kill. The question was, why would anyone lure Laura Hale in and kill her?

He slowly rose, tucking his flashlight back into his coat as he made his way back to his car. He gave Derek a sign to start the jeep and gave Malia and Allison clear instructions to follow Derek home. He looked towards the sheriff who gave him a curt nod. “Just make sure they’re safe and informed when I get back.”

He gave him a nod in return, got in his car, and followed after Malia and Derek.

-

As soon as his dad had left them alone, Jackson and Scott had taken to glaring at one another. Which would have been a rather tense situation if it hadn’t been for Ben’s soft snoring cutting through every once in a while. “Don’t you even lift a single finger, McCall, or I will fucking end you.”

“You’d think I would hurt a kid?” Scott looked appalled at the very idea. But he wouldn’t put it past this moron do something stupid.

“I didn’t think you’d try to dig up a dead body, but here we are.” He bit back, turning his back to Scott for a moment so he could keep an eye on his dad and the sheriff.

He didn’t think he’d ever seen his dad break down like that, nor had he ever wanted to see it. The realization that his father wasn’t just a parent but also a human with complex thoughts and emotions kinda rattled him to his core. Yet he watched as both adults fell to their knees and held onto each other as minutes ticked by.

“They knew her, didn’t they.” Scott’s voice cut through the silence.

And although he did send Scott a glare, he also nodded. “Yeah, I guess they did.”

He heard Ben stir behind him and quickly focused his attention on his little brother. “Hey buddy, did you have a good nap?”

“Yeah-” Ben froze as he noticed Scott sitting next to him. “Who are you?”

“Uh- I’m-” Scott stammered, not sure what to do or say in front of the five-year-old.

“That’s Scott.” Jackson answered, “He’s someone from my school.”

“Why is everyone upset?” Ben looked around curiously and seemed to perk up as dad and the sheriff walked back to the cars.

“It’s a long story…” Jackson sighed, though he quieted down as Derek and Malia drove down the road, and dad followed after them. The rest of the drive home was quiet and rather awkward.

-

Once he got everyone home, the cars parked on the driveway, and the kids and Derek herded into his living room, and onto the couches, he surveyed the damage with a long, suffering sigh. “Tonight has shown and proven that every secret, even if it was kept with the best intentions, will eventually come out.”

He still didn’t know how he was going to explain it all and on his own since Noah would be tied up with police business, but he was going to try his best. Surely he could survive his own kids, step-kids, his friend’s kid, and his nephew?

“What I’m about to tell you is shocking, it’ll uproot everything you’ve believed in so far,” He looked to his own children as he spoke, then turning to Derek, Scott, Malia, and Stiles, “Or maybe you’ve heard some of it.”

He took a deep breath. “Either way, I want you to stay as calm as you can and let me talk. If you have a question, then ask for clarification. Alright?” 

“Would you just spit it out, you’ve already told us werewolves are real. What on earth could be more shattering than that?” Jackson said, rolling his eyes.

“Werewolves are real?” Ben seemed genuinely excited at those words, “Is that why Derek talked about dad still having a wolf? Is dad one? Is Derek one?”

Allison and Jackson stared at Ben in shock for a moment before turning on Chris. “Wait-” They said in unison, “Did Ben see dad? Does Ben know who he is and where he is?”

“Why the hell would you take him but not us?!” Judging by that look, Jackson was ready to tear him down piece by piece.

“ **Enough**!” He might have been more firm than he intended to. But he needed them to shut up and listen for five minutes. “Everything will be explained, but I need you to be quiet and listen.”

Jackson’s glare could cut through steel and Allison turned her gaze away from him. Somehow that hurt worse than Jackson’s murderous looks.

“Werewolves are real. A lot of supernatural creatures are real. And my family, the Argent family. Has hunted these creatures for centuries. I used to believe deeply in our family’s code; we hunt those who hunt us. Until I met Noah,” he paused, “And Peter.”

He let the words sink in. “Noah Stilinski is a druid, a powerful magic user who was born with his abilities. He can casts spells, hexes, read thoughts and emotions of those he has a bond with. Or at least, he could. I don’t know if that’s still in his repertoire.”

“Peter Hale is a beta werewolf, also born with his abilities. Many in his family, like Derek, are. He used to live in a house on the preservation with his family. Peter Hale was one of the Alphas I used to go to school with, that’s actually where I met him, as well as Noah.”

Ben raised his hand, his other was clutching Rabbit. “What’s the difference between a werewolf Beta and what we call Alpha or Omega?”

He was surprised the question came from Ben, and Allison and Jackson seemed intrigued as well. “In the human world, we have four sexes. Alpha, Omega, male, and female. As humans, we’re always a combination of two, Alpha male or Alpha female, Omega male or Omega female. Alphas usually have a penis and testicles and Omegas usually have a vagina and a uterus, unless-”

“Unless they were born as an Alpha but are actually an Omega. Like that’s what they know in their brain.” Ben finished.

Funnily enough, Ben seemed the only comfortable talking about the subject, the teenagers and Derek tried to avoid his gaze at all costs. Childlike thinking and curiosity truly could be a wonderful thing. “That’s right, now for werewolves, they also have the four sexes but they also have a ranking system. Like the soldier and the general or the leader and the worker. So an Omega female, who happens to be a werewolf can also be the Alpha werewolf. Because that means she’s the leader of the pack. The Alpha is the leader of a pack, the Beta are the pack members. And an Omega werewolf is a werewolf who doesn’t have a pack.”

Ben seemed to think for a minute. “So an Alpha man can also be an Omega werewolf because he doesn’t have a pack?”

“Exactly!” He wasn’t sure if he should feel pride at his son’s quick thinking and comprehension skills, but he was. He was one of those dads that still carried pictures of his kids in his wallet everywhere with him.

“Oh.. I get it.” Ben nodded.

“Good.” He smiled briefly, “I met Peter and Noah at school and slowly but surely became their friend. Which was- it wasn’t easy. The Hale family were known werewolves, the Stilinski family were known druids, and my family- we were hunters.”

“Your parents all forbid you from seeing each other,” Malia said.

“Yes, and no. My parents and Noah’s parents did. Peter’s sister, she invited us for dinner.” He chuckled at the memory, “It was strange at first, I was still learning that not all supernatural creatures were crazed murderers. Because that was what I was taught my whole life.”

He let it sink in for a minute, watching the kids' reactions carefully. Ben seemed thoughtful, Allison and Jackson seemed less angry and more aware of what he’d gone through as well. Malia and Stiles were horrified, judging by the looks on their faces. And Scott was just staring ahead pensively. “Jesus-” Stiles muttered.

“I was a soldier and I was raised as one. I was pretty shocked when I found out that some werewolves are perfectly normal people. They have families, they have humans in their packs and they welcomed me with open arms. The very young man that hunted down their kind.” He smiled sadly and looked down at his hands, biting his bottom lip while in thought. 

“Needless to say, I changed my mind. And Peter, Noah, and I grew closer over the next year. We made friends, Melissa Delgado, Rafe McCall, and Claudia Gajos. Claudia was a druid as well, she and Noah went way back. Melissa was the daughter of my mother’s friend. The daughter of another hunter, she grew up in the same kind of life I did. Raised as a leader, though, not a soldier-”

“Wait-” Scott interrupted, “My mom was a hunter of the supernatural?!?”

He felt a little uncomfortable for having to tell Scott all of this, but at the same time, it would only help him with being more open about everything going on. Maybe it would even prevent him from doing stupid shit. “She was. She got out when she married Rafe, a human who has no idea the supernatural exists. Your mother knows, about werewolves, hunters, druids. She’ll be able to help you, Scott.”

That little revelation had all the kids, and Derek for that matter, staring at him in shock. 

“Holy shit.” Malia said, just as Jackson and Stiles uttered a “Fuck,” in unison.

“We went through that year and our friendship evolved into more. When we started senior year, the three of us, Peter, Noah, and I, we were together. By the time Senior year ended, I was pregnant with Peter’s children, Allison and Jackson. Two months later, Noah also got pregnant with Peter’s kids, Malia and Mieczysław. So the truth is-”

“We are related,” Stiles said, looking at Jackson, Allison, and Ben with wide eyes. “We’re half-siblings.”

He nodded briefly, keeping his eyes on a paling Jackson and a stiff-looking Allison. “Yes, you share the same Alpha father.”

Ben seemed to be rather calm about things and slowly hopped off his seat to stand before Malia. “You’re my sister too?” 

Malia, to her credit, held things together and just nodded, though she looked panicked and rather keen on bailing out. “Yeah, yeah I guess so.”

Ben grinned in return, his eyes briefly flashing yellow. A gesture that Malia returned, her shoulders relaxing a little. 

“Oh my god, I’m related to Jackson!” Stiles blurted out, to which Scott giggled. “Sucks to be you.”

“As if I like it, Stilinski!” Jackson bit back, rising from his seat on the couch.

Derek rose with Stiles and immediately laid a hand on both Stiles’ and Jackson’s chests to keep them apart from one another as they spewed insults and witty remarks at each other.

“Careful Argent, or I will hex you.”

“You can bippity boppity boo me all you want, Stilinski, but that’s not changing the truth.” 

“Oh yeah, what truth is that?”

“That you’re a bitch!”

He had enough but before he could intervene, Allison did. “Shut up! Oh my god, could the both of you just shut the fuck up for five seconds?!”

At least that got everyone’s attention. 

“It’s bad enough that freaking werewolves and vampires, and god knows what are real, and that we’re half-siblings is just icing on the fucking cake. I don’t know how to deal with this and I really just want to scream, but _my god_ , are you making it worse!” Allison yelled.

“Sweetheart-” He didn’t know how to take her pain away, didn’t know how to fix things.

“Don’t!” She pointed one finger at him, clearly on the verge of tears. “Don’t you say anything. Because if you just told us. None of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have had to see a body in the woods, wouldn’t have been dragged into this because I would’ve called you from the first second and I wouldn’t have had to deal with his bullshit!”

She couldn’t process it. That much was clear to him and he didn’t blame her for lashing out. So he merely gave her a kind, understanding smile and opened his arms. “Or you’d be used to it.”

That seemed to rattle her a little, a few tears spilled and with the first sob, she surged forward into his arms and cried into his chest. 

“I’m sorry, I never wanted you to find out like this.” He muttered into her hair, letting her cry it out for as long as she needed. Because it was a lot to process, all of it and he didn’t blame her, or Jackson for either of their reactions.

Jackson calmed down a little, occasionally shooting a death glare to Stiles or an uncomfortable-looking Scott. “So what about him?” He pointed to Derek, “Malia said he was their cousin, is he ours?”

“He is.” He nodded, rubbing Allison’s back in order to give her a bit more comfort. “He’s your cousin on your father’s side. And-”

He paused, unsure of how to tell his own kids that the body they found was another cousin.

“The body Stiles and Scott found, that was Derek’s sister Laura. She was our cousin too. That’s why Stiles and I-” Malia said, though she couldn’t finish her sentence due to an overwhelming amount of grief. Ben seemed to sense it and took Malia’s hands with his own to comfort her. 

Another silence came over the kids and Derek as they processed all of the new information they’d been given.

Jackson shook his head and closed his eyes, clearly holding back bouts of rage and grief and seeing those emotions play out on his son’s face, it-. He didn’t know how to make it better, he didn’t know how to take that away and that _killed_ him. “Jackson-”

“No. Just- I. No. I- I can’t. This, all of this.” A shaky breath escaped the teen and he could see those blue eyes lose their spark of anger and resolve into pure panic. 

He felt something twist in his stomach, tearing its way to his heart and destroying everything in its path. Never in his life had he ever wanted to see his children hurt, he never wanted them to suffer. And yet, by hiding them from his world and trying to protect them from monsters, that’s exactly what he’d done. He hurt them beyond belief and he didn’t know how to make it better, how to soothe it.

He let out a shaky breath and let his emotions show. Though his own father had taught him to hide them, to compartmentalize them, he himself tried to show them in front of his kids. Break the cycle, let his kids feel emotion and work through that, let them see it from him. It took effort, a lot of guidance from John and Deucalion back in the day. But he managed, he managed to show Jackson and Allison and now Ben too, that showing emotions was okay. That it was okay to be angry or show grief, that it was okay to cry.

“Then let it out. It’s okay.”

He did.

Jackson’s scream cut through the room and resonated through the house. Dissolving into sobs after a minute. And before long, he had two teenagers sobbing against him. And as he looked over at Malia, Stiles, Scott, and Ben. He noticed that they were in pretty bad shape as well. He nodded them over, gesturing towards them to join in. “There’s always room.”

It didn’t take long for Ben and Malia to join in. Malia wrapping her arms around the twins while laying her head on Jackson’s shoulder and Ben wrapped his arms around his left leg. Stiles joined next, wrapping his arms around Malia and Jackson while burying his nose in Malia’s neck. Surprisingly Jackson didn’t fight him on it. Probably too tired and too upset to really do so. 

Scott joined in by wrapping an arm around Allison and Malia, he didn’t seem as upset as the others. Which was logical as he didn’t lose any family members tonight and he didn’t have to deal with as many revelations as his peers. Still, it was nice to see the teenager wasn’t locking himself out and he was trying to give comfort to the others.

Derek was the last to join them, he sneaked up behind Chris and rested his head against Chris’s while laying a free hand on Ben’s shoulder. And for a moment, that’s all they did. Just working through their emotions by feeling and finding comfort. Slowly sobbing turned into sniffles, sniffles turned quiet and slowly their little cuddle pile drifted apart and found their seats back on the sofa.

“I know today has been a roller coaster, for everyone.” He began softly, smiling at the tired teenagers and the yawning five-year-old, who’d settled on Derek’s lap. “How about we order in, watch a few movies and take a few days to process?”

“You mean we don’t go to school?” Scott asked.

He nodded. “Noah and I will call you in sick, I can ask Melissa to do the same for you. We’ll take a breather, talk things through.”

The teenagers agreed, clearly on board with the plan for now. And even Ben seemed to be okay with that. The rest of the evening progressed quietly with little talk and mostly introspection. He made Scott call Melissa and notified her of what was going on. They shared pizza, watched a few movies. Until eventually Ben fell asleep in Derek’s arms and had to be put to bed. The teenagers followed soon, he laid out an air mattress in the guest room for Scott while Stiles took the guest bed and a spare mattress in Allison’s room for Malia. He put a camping bed in Jackson’s room for Derek to sleep in for the coming days. 

Once everything was quiet he stayed downstairs in his pajama pants and a faded Green Day shirt and waited for Noah to return. It took most of the evening and well into the night, but at 2 am, Noah finally came home to him.

“How did it go?” He asked once Noah was settled on his couch, his jacket hung on the coat rack, his shoes had been kicked off, his shirt and pants draped over the back of a chair. And the sheriff was just sitting on his couch in his boxers and an undershirt. His back to Chris’s chest.

“I never want to see paperwork again,” Noah grumbled though he sighed in contentment as Chris slowly started working out the knots in his shoulders.

“That bad?” He carefully worked through the tense muscle, heating up the skin beneath his hands with careful strokes and kneading. 

“Hmm..” Noah hummed, closing his eyes with a long sigh. “Worse. Do you know how many questions and inconsistencies I’ve had to clear up?”

“Quite a lot I imagine, considering.” He said, “I’ve had to explain to four teenagers what the world is truly like and they all share one Alpha parent. And bring one teenager up to speed that his mother used to hunt creatures like him.”

“Sounds like we both had a shitty night.” Noah chuckled, leaning back further against him with a yawn. 

It was nice, having Noah rest against him like that and finding comfort and peace in his touch. The last time they’d been like this was when Stiles and Malia had been but a week old. Just before everything had gone to shit.

“Hmm, mine wasn’t so bad once the crying stopped and we settled down. The kids were quiet but they processed things. It felt weird-” He knew Noah would understand what he meant.

“Yeah, it does. Feels unnatural somehow, even after all these years.” Noah said, “Like it’s-”

“It’s not something we’re supposed to be able to do.” He answered, “Like talking things through or expressing our feelings.”

Noah nodded in understanding and settled against him, laying his head on his shoulder. “We’ve been trained for so long, you don’t unlearn that in a year or two. We’ve had to unlearn it for seventeen years and we’re still learning.”

He couldn’t help but draw the comparison to this morning. When they had a similar conversation over arson papers. “Still learning to let go and accept forgiveness too.”

Noah seemed to understand, “I really don’t blame you or Peter. You were having your own shit, both of you. And I know that if you knew you would have dropped everything and been there. It’s exactly what I couldn’t have handled.”

He slowly reached out resting his trembling hands in Noah’s, his nose resting on the top of Noah’s head. “I know, we would’ve been at each other’s throats constantly. But I need you to know, that I’m sorry. I- And I wanna be here now…”

Noah’s fingers traced his own, over the faded scars and unseen bruises. “You always have been, never doubt that. I never did for a second.”

It was hard, to talk, to acknowledge, even if that little string in his chest hummed and thrived at Noah’s touch, a part of still wanted to hide his hands away. Hands that were once beaten and broken and then covered in the blood of others. He took a deep breath and tried though. “I don’t know if I can forgive myself, but I can try for you,” A chuckle left him, “I’ve missed you, every day. And I don’t know how we can recover time lost but-”

Noah lifted his hands to his lips and gently pressed a kiss to his knuckles, a gesture that rattled him to his very core and he couldn’t stop the half sob that escaped him. “I-”

“Then don’t.” Noah’s fingers lit up, spreading warmth through him and letting him see that familiar light. _Home_. “Don’t try to recover that time but just stay. Right here, right now, with me.”

He did. For once in many years he let go of fears past and just breathed in the scent of a man he’d loved fiercely once. Truth be told, he still did. And just held him through the night. With only each other and Ben’s Phineas and Ferb fleece throw blanket to cover them and protect them against the cold of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are, ready to move on to the next plot point and develop relationships past this point. I hope you all will stick around and let me know what you think!
> 
> I'm really excited and I hope you are too. This is officially the longest story I've ever written and it's novel-sized now! Whoo!  
> If you don't feel comfortable talking to me here, you're always welcome to come talk to me anonymously on Tumblr. My username there is seven-oomen(dot)Tumblr(dot)com. 
> 
> Anyway, I'd really love to see your thoughts and questions, your comments make my day and get me through the worst of the week. Which is today, therapy day, haha. 
> 
> I just want to thank everybody for reading my story and for sticking with me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul <3.


	9. I fought a dragon but the beast was me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So today, May 30 is my birthday and I decided to post this chapter today because 1) it's my birthday and I want to give back to all of my wonderful readers. And 2) I kinda hit a block for this chapter and I decided 7,5K was enough to stand as a chapter. It also feels like a good point to cut it off and move on. Though how I'll do that, I'll have no idea. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter include; stalking, torture, child abuse. Although none of it is shown in the moment, the aftermath of these events is shown in detail. So there's your warning for this.

Morning arrived with the hum of a lively kitchen and the warmth of another body entangled with his own. A cramp in his neck made itself known just as sounds of mass destruction assaulted his ears. He grimaced, cranking one eye open to witness total chaos. A quick glance at the clock told him it was only 7 am.

He groaned and cuddled closer to his sleeping partner, who hummed at his moving and pressed him closer to the back of the couch while burying his face into his chest whilst murmuring; “Not now, ‘s too early.”

The clattering of a pan pulled both of them out of their snoozing and had them sit up to survey the damage. Stiles was standing over a fallen frying pan, scrambled eggs were strewn across the kitchen floor. Derek in the meantime had manned the stove and seemed to be baking pancakes for the army of teenagers and Jackson and Scot had been put on juice duty. Cutting and squeezing oranges for fresh orange juice. 

“Goddammit, Stilinski!” Jackson’s voice cut through, clearly annoyed that part of their breakfast had ended up on the floor.

“It was an accident!” Stiles snapped back.

Noah groaned and pulled him back down, clearly not ready or willing to deal with bullshit this early in the morning. He couldn’t help but gently poke the druid and muttered into his ear. “Your kids are awake.”

He felt Noah’s chuckle vibrate through his chest and reveled in the way the sheriff pulled him closer and used him as a giant teddy bear. “In the morning, they’re your kids,” Noah answered.

“Hey, don’t be too hard on him, he’s trying,” Scott interjected, shrinking back a little when Jackson shot him a patented murder glare.

“Stiles, clean that up, and wash the pan. I’ll see if I can make another batch.” Derek quickly said, pointing Stiles to the coffee machine. “I’m sure your dad and Uncle Chris would appreciate some coffee.”

“Hmm, but I’m currently trapped under a very cuddly officer of the law. Can’t go anywhere.” Chris said, yawning and stretching out as the patter of feet approached.

“Papa?” 

He opened his eyes again to see Ben staring at them with a sleepy smile. “Hey, sport. What’s going on?”

“Derek’s making breakfast with Jax, Stiles, and Scott. I think Ali and Mali set the table. So nobody has time for me.” Ben shrugged, climbing on the shorter section of the L shaped couch. His son took a look at the snoozing Noah and leaned over him to get a closer look at his face. Once he was inches away he noticed Ben was sniffing the air around Noah, getting a good scent for reference.

He hummed. “Hmm, so you decided to come bother your poor old man?” 

He felt Noah’s lips curl up against his shirt and his eyes open slowly. The druid quickly turned around with a soft- “Boo.” - Though he did grab Ben’s shirt just as quick to prevent the child from accidentally falling off the couch.

Ben giggled at Noah’s antics, launching himself back, though thanks to Noah’s quick thinking he didn’t fall off and merely ended up on the cushion. “Again! Again!” 

Noah laughed, still looking quite tired but also amused at the five-year-olds antics. He sat up, moving slow and playful, grabbing ahold of Ben quickly to take him hostage in a tickle fight. “Again? Again?!” The druid growled, “I’ll show you again!” 

Chris watched in amusement as the druid blew a raspberry in Ben’s neck and continued his tickle assault. Ben seemed to be absolutely delighted, judging by the giggles and screeches he let out. 

“Ooh, I loved that game,” Malia said, as she and Allison leaned on the back of the couch and watched Noah and Ben for a moment.

“Weren’t you two setting the table?” He smiled at the girls and rubbed his eyes to clear them from the remainders of sleep.

“We finished that in about two minutes,” Allison said.

“Yeah, unlike the boys, we actually know what we’re doing.” Malia chuckled.

“I heard that!” Stiles yelled from the kitchen, though he did make the coffee machine breathe and steam like Darth Vader almost on queue. 

“Stiles, how many of Uncle Chris’s kitchen appliances are you planning to damage? Just for reference.” Derek sounded tired but also amused at his cousin’s antics.

“It’s not my fault everything is just weird-” Stiles snapped, though he did manage to get the coffee machine back under control and actually brew a good pot of coffee.

“You can say that again..,” Scott muttered, carefully carrying glasses of juice to the table and setting them down. Even Jackson seemed to agree with that statement.

“It sure is, isn’t it?” Chris stretched out slowly and scooted his way down the couch before getting off of it. He soon found himself wrapped in two pairs of arms. He smiled and pulled the girls closer. “Now what’s all this about?”

“I’m just grateful you came to get us, dad. Despite everything that went down, I know you just tried to keep us safe, and hearing you apologize and admitting your mistakes, that meant a lot to me. And to Jackson, though he probably won’t say it.” Allison said.

“It did. And I do understand why, I don’t agree with it, but I understand.” Jackson said, taking a seat at the table.

“And I’m just- I don’t know. I’m happy me and Stiles didn’t have to be alone last night and that though your talk was a bit weird, it felt good to get all of the cards out.” Malia agreed.

Noah by now had hoisted a giggling Ben into his arms and the five-year-old had tucked his head under Noah’s chin, his arms wrapped around his neck. “We’ll call the schools after breakfast, there’s still a lot we should talk through. Maybe get to bond a little as a family.”

“Do we have to?” Stiles sighed, though one stern, but slightly amused glare from Noah made him give in. “Fine, I’ll behave if he does.”

They didn’t have to guess who he was, for all eyes simultaneously turned to Jackson.

“Fine, whatever. Can we eat?” Jackson crossed his arms and grumbled something under his breath that he couldn’t quite catch.

“We can,” Derek answered, choosing that moment to put down several plates with pancake stacks and one plate with a fresh batch of scrambled eggs. Scott meanwhile put down the last of the glasses and sat down opposite Jackson.

“Ah great, I’m starving.” Scott grinned, much to Jackson’s chagrin.

For some reason Noah seemed to find the interactions between Scott and Jackson particularly funny, though he chose not to comment on it, the look he sent Chris was enough to pique his interest. What was that about?

He herded Malia and Allison to the table and sat down on Jackson’s left, with Ben next to him and Noah on Ben’s other side. Allison sat down at the head of the table with Malia between her and Scott. Stiles sat down on Scott’s right, putting two mugs of coffee in front of Chris and Noah, and Derek took the last seat at the table opposite Noah.

“Thank you, Stiles.” Noah smiled at his youngest, a smile that Stiles gladly returned it seemed.

He took a sip of the dark warm liquid and raised his mug to the young druid in thanks. “That’s some good coffee, Thank you.”

The way Stiles lit up at the praise had him smiling and he made a mental note to focus more on the positive things the boy did. He clearly needed it.

They finished breakfast together, laughter going around the table. Even Jackson and Stiles seemed to relax around each other. Before long they figured out that they could team up against people together. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that one.

They cleared the table and washed up, the two of them took Ben upstairs to get cleaned up because somehow the child had gotten syrup all over his face and hands. Derek meanwhile herded the teenagers into doing the dishes and cleaning. They also picked up fresh clothes from the Stilinski and McCall households, called the schools, the sheriff’s office, talked briefly with Melissa to get their stories straight, and settled the brood and Derek back in the Argent living room.

Noah took a chair and sat down opposite them. “I’m sure all of you still have a lot of questions after last night.”

Jackson was the first to break, “Are you really a druid who can do magic?”

Noah nodded and closed his eyes focusing the energy in his body to flow through him, a little ball of light appeared in his hands and he slowly held it up for the kids to see. 

Derek, Malia, and Stiles smirked at the sight, clearly used to seeing the magic being performed. Jackson, Allison, Ben, and Scott though, they were openly gawking at the little light source. 

“How?” Allison whispered.

“Molecular Energy flows through everything,” Noah explained. “It’s what makes up you and I and all life in the universe. As a born druid I have a natural ability to manipulate it. I can’t create molecules but I can manipulate them into elements and energies by using my own body’s natural energy to power the ability. The drawback and limitation of that power is, that my body can run out of natural energy and stamina.”

“You basically run out of juice,” Jackson said.

“Exactly.” He powered down the ball of light in his hand and let the energy flow back into his body. His purple eyes settled on a quiet Scott. “You alright, Scott?”

Scott shook out of his little stupor and nodded. “Yeah, I just- I feel like such a dick now. I should’ve come to you immediately and I shouldn’t have dragged Stiles into this with me. I should have listened to him.”

“You should have.” Noah nodded. “But it’s good that you realize that now. You’re a teenager, Scott. Someone who went through a very traumatic experience and panicked. I understand why you went about it the way you did, I don’t condone it, but I understand. But I do hope, that now that you know there are people who can help you, you won’t make the same mistakes again.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Scott said solemnly, squaring his shoulders as if he was taking an oath. And maybe in a way he was, for the teenager genuinely seemed repentant and eager to do better.

“Good.” Chris smiled, “I will keep you to that.”

“As will I,” Noah said, giving the teenager an encouraging smile.

“Dad said you could cast spells, hexes, read thoughts, and emotions. Is that still something you can do?” Allison asked, and even Stiles, Malia, and Derek seemed intrigued by it.

“It’s still something I can do. Spells, hexes, and rituals are things any druid, born or learned can do. Maybe not quite the way I do them, but most of them can be taught. Reading someone’s emotions or feelings, well, that’s different. Some druids can read all thoughts around them or all emotions, I can only read the thoughts and emotions of people I have a close personal connection with. And it’s a tactile ability. I have to touch them. So it very much depends on the druid and whether they were born or learned their ability.”

“Chris also explained how you met and somewhat what happened between you, dad, and Chris. But we still don’t know why you married mom or, well-” Malia bit her lip and looked down at her nails.

“Why we had to run,” Jackson said. “Why did we have to run from our family, and why you had to hide yours.”

Noah looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged somewhat apologetically. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how to explain everything last night and he felt a bit guilty for putting some of that on Noah. Though Noah only sighed.

“It all started in our Senior year of high school.” Noah leaned back in his chair.

_Someone walked into him and send him sprawling to the floor. He groaned softly, sending a quick healing pulse through his body to soothe his aches and pains from the fall. “Shit.” He heard above him. “I’m so sorry-”_

_He dusted himself off and chuckled softly. “It’s alright don’t worry about it.” He noticed the stranger had already gathered his books as a hand was extended to him to help him up._

_“No, it’s not.” The stranger muttered, both of them froze as their eyes met._

_He could see it clear as day, the red pulsing string between them as he stared into blue eyes with hints of silver. That couldn’t be- He already had a string with Peter, he couldn’t have two… Could he?_

_Having one soulmate was a blessing from Anu. Having two was a cosmic phenomenon that hadn’t been recorded in the last millennium._

_He shook himself out of his thoughts and tried not to let his eyes roam over the lean muscled form of the other boy. Though he tried not to let it show._

_Pairing faded black jeans with a studded belt and combat boots, a green day shirt, dog tags, and a biker jacket wasn’t a look many people could pull off in this school. The new guy could._

_“It’s Noah, by the way. Noah Stilinski.”_

_The other boy shook his hand with a soft smile. “Chris. Chris Argent.”_

_It felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped on him and he had to actively suppress a gasp and forced his lips to curl up just a little. An Argent in Beacon Hills couldn’t mean much good and if the string he saw wasn’t just a figment of his imagination, it also meant that he shared a soul with both an Argent and a Hale. What on Earth had Anu planned for them? He didn’t let his doubt or fear show and merely shook the hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”_

_The other boy smiled at him, he felt his heart flutter and the world seemed to stop for a moment. Chris Argent glowed brighter than the full moon itself when he smiled. Fuck. The string was real, he wasn’t imagining this. “Pleasure to meet you too, Noah,” Chris said._

_“I do have homeroom right now, but I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He smiled, gathered his books, and quickly walked back down the hall. In homeroom, he quickly located Claudia and dropped in the chair next to her. “I have a problem.”_

_“If Peter wants to go down on you under the bleachers you should do it after school, that’s not a problem, that’s Peter being horny.” Claudia didn’t even look up from her sketchbook and kept sketching the scene in front of her of Melissa staring out the window at the front of the class, making sure to capture the way Melissa’s hair caught the sunlight in her drawing._

_“What?” He couldn’t believe what she’d just said, actually, no he could. Claudia had a tendency to blurt the most shocking thing she could think of in order to catch him off guard. “No. That’s not it.”_

_“Then what is it?” She looked him up and down and shrugged. “I mean you look fine.”_

_Well, he knew that. He’d carefully chosen the paint-splattered black ripped jeans, white shirt, black doc martens with yellow laces, and red plaid flannel shirt that he’d tied around his middle. That wasn’t his problem. “No, it’s. There’s a new student in the school.”_

_She looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “So?”_

_He sighed, honestly he loved her as a sister, he had from the moment they met in kindergarten while trying to eat the same color of paint. “And he’s connected to me by a red string!” He hissed._

_“What?!” Claudia snapped, quickly looking around the room to see if anyone had heard them. She had to glare at Rafe McCall to get him to look away from them. “Are you serious? How is that possible?”_

_“I don’t know! Peter is too, this is-” He buried his hands in his hair and groaned._

_Claudia hummed. “So you have two? Do you know what that means? That’s unheard of Noah.”_

_“I know. I just, Anu has something planned, clearly. I just wish I knew what.” He sighed, “One is a Hale, the other an Argent. That has to mean something.”_

_Claudia went quiet and bit her lip. “Maybe Anu is trying to end the war. Between the supernatural and the hunters. It would make sense to give a piece of a soul to all sides and bind them for eternity.”_

_“Until death do us part.” He muttered. It did make sense, though the mere thought of having that kind of responsibility on his shoulders gave him a cold feeling._

_Claudia smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder in support. “If there was ever a sign that your father is wrong, this is it. Clearly you’re not meant to stick with your own kind. You’re meant for greatness Noah, for love. And I think this is a sign that you should go for it.”_

_He nodded and gave her a grateful smile in return. “I’ll talk to Peter about it.”_

_That night he met up with Peter at the base of the oldest tree in the preserve. It had been cut down a long time ago but its base still hummed with mystical power. “Somehow I don’t think you just wanted to meet me to make out.” The young werewolf shrugged off his black designer jacket and laid it down on the base before sitting down on it._

_He took in Peter’s form, from the black tight designer jeans paired with a chain and the black leather designer boots, to his white shirt that had a black howling wolf on it with the words ‘hungry like the wolf’ written in white in the creature, and a wolf tooth necklace, and noted the pulsing red string connecting them. “I wouldn’t be against that, but-”_

_“But what? What’s going on?” Peter seemed genuinely concerned at the way he looked down and wouldn’t meet his eyes. The werewolf patted the seat next to him and slowly wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he took in Noah’s behavior._

_“I think, I think we have a third soulmate. I ran into the new student today and he’s connected to me by a red string too.” Throwing it out there would be the easiest way to break the news._

_“A third? I barely believed you when you told me we were connected.” Peter laughed, though he seemed to sober up when he noticed Noah’s grim expression. “You’re not joking are you..?” He paused, “Who is it?”_

_“He says his name is Chris Argent.”_

_Peter’s expression would have been comical if the situation hadn’t been this dire. From the wide eyes to the slack jaw that just uselessly opened and closed a few times. “An Argent?! They’re in town? And there’s- What the fuck?”_

_He fidgeted and groaned, burying his hands in his shaggy, curly, hair. “I know, I don’t know what to do with this either. But I figured you should know.”_

_Peter seemed to think on it for a moment or two. “Is he an Alpha or Omega?”_

_“He’s an Omega like me, judging by his scent.” It was interesting that that was Peter’s first question._

_“Hmm,” Peter then smiled and pulled him closer. “Is he cute though?”_

_He couldn’t help but splutter at that, which made Peter laugh even more. “Oh he is, is he?”_

_The Alpha chuckled. “Maybe this won’t be so bad.”_

_Those had been some famous last words, of course. For although their initial meetings and the way they walked around and interacted with each other every day went just fine, once they stepped foot outside the school. Things tended to go sour._

_It had been the night before Talia’s dinner, four months after meeting Chris and four months of hanging out and growing closer. A part of him should have felt jealous about the way sparks flew around Chris and Peter, but truth be told, he just found it hot. Tonight, however, Chris showed up on Noah’s doorstep. On the evening that his parents were out of town and Peter was over at his place. Chris’s nose was bleeding, he had a black eye and a split lip and he seemed to be walking with a slight limp to his step. A big backpack was on his back._

_“I didn’t know where else to go…” He croaked out, shaking a little even though it was still 83 degrees outside despite it being 8 pm._

_“Jesus, Chris-” He quickly herded Chris inside, mindful of his injuries as he let him through the hallway and living room and into the kitchen where he sat him down at the table. “Did he-?”_

_“I told him I didn’t want to hunt anymore…” Chris whispered, looking down at his hands, which were covered in new cuts and welts. His little finger was definitely bent at an odd angle._

_He heard Peter’s heavy breathing, saw the flash of golden eyes accompanied by a growl before Peter managed to get himself back under control. “I’m going to kill him.”_

_“Don’t,” Chris shook his head, “It’s no use, I just have to ride it out until graduation. Then I’m free and I can leave.”_

_“Are you kidding me?” Peter hissed. “Look at what he’s done to you. What he’s-” he clearly needed a moment to keep himself in check before he turned back to them. “Why won’t you let me protect you, why won’t you let me help?”_

_Chris smiled sadly. He could see tears forming in the other boy’s eyes but before he could reach out in comfort, Chris suddenly grabbed his little finger and manually put it back in place with a hiss._

_He winced at the sight and had to look away. Once he made eye contact again all emotion on Chris’s face had been carefully tucked away and compartmentalized. A thing he’d been taught, no doubt._

_“It wouldn’t change anything,” Chris said, his voice surprisingly steady and calm. Noah looked over at Peter and saw a pained, disgusted look in his eyes. Though he doubted the disgust was directed at Chris, more at Chris’s father for turning Chris into this, this- emotionless soldier. “He’d just kill you or anyone in his way. All hope I have left is to sit it out.”_

_“You shouldn’t have to,” Peter said. “Talia’s a great lawyer and my dad-”_

_“NO!” Chris stood up suddenly, wincing as he aggravated his injuries with the motion. Noah quickly guided him back into his seat. “No, I don’t want D- Gerard to have any more fuel against your family than he already has. Don’t give him any reason to actively go after them.”_

_“Chris-” Peter shook his head, clearly fighting the side of him that wanted to tear Gerard apart for what he’d done. “You can’t be serious, what he’s doing to you-”_

_“He can do because no one can stop him,” Chris looked down at his hands and closed his eyes, “They tried and those people always end up disappearing or dead by some freak accident. Gerard wouldn’t even feel sorry about killing your family if they got in the way. Right now, your family is still protected by the code. If they cross him, he’ll be able to spin it like you tried to hunt him first. That’s what he does. He follows the code, sure, but he spins it for his own gain.”_

_Noah had been quiet so far, letting Chris and Peter figure it out amongst themselves. Though he certainly was on Peter’s side on this one. Maybe one day he could find the courage to turn in his own old man as well. “Sounds like he doesn’t really follow the code then…”_

_Chris went quiet at those words and shrugged. “Code’s broken anyway, we shouldn’t hunt, we should protect.”_

_They hadn’t heard Chris say that yet, it was always code this, code that. To hear Chris say something that controversial, well, it gave him hope that Chris would be the change the hunters needed. Maybe Anu had been on to something when she’d linked them together by splitting one soul in three._

_Peter moved closer, grabbing a cloth and running it under cold water for half a minute before sitting down next to Chris and gently cleaned his lip and nose. “What makes you say that? Surely it can’t be just my charm or dashing good looks?”_

_Chris chuckled despite his pain and gently swatted Peter on the chest. “No, you dick,” He looked at both Noah and Peter, “It was the both of you. Because- Cause-”_

_“Because?” Peter pressed, gently stroking Chris’s hair back. It had gotten a bit longer on top, standing out in spikes that were an untamed mess. But it suited Chris._

_For a moment it looked like Chris wanted to confess something, he seemed to be struggling to find the right words and bring them out. But just as he expected Chris to address this thing between them, Chris sighed and said something else entirely._

_“Because you showed me that you’re not monsters, you’re just people with special abilities who are trying to survive.” Chris paused, “Like the hunters. You’re trying to protect your own and others, and are just trying to make something of this life. Or the majority of you anyway,” He smiled and tucked some of Peter’s long locks carefully behind his ears. “I think people who want to live in peace, regardless of who they are should be protected.”_

_“I’m sure you do,” Peter smiled, leaning over Chris just a little, “You’ve got a good heart and a greater ass. Didn’t expect anything else really.”_

_The way Chris blushed at that made him smile as well, it was easy to rile Chris up with compliments. And Peter knew it too, it was basically his favorite past-time to get both of them to blush._

_“Oh shut up…” Chris muttered, wincing at the pain of his injuries._

_He walked up to the young hunter and dragged a chair closer so he could sit opposite him. He gently laid his hands on the sides of Chris’s face and closed his eyes to focus the energy in his body._

_He breathed in slowly, charging himself until his fingers started glowing green and green energy flowed from him into the hunter, he sought out all the broken bones, all the bruises, all the cuts and slowly closed them and healed them. He couldn’t take away the scars yet, he wasn’t that strong. But he could heal, soothe and take away the pain. He couldn’t keep it up for more than a few minutes, but it was enough. When he opened his eyes, Chris’s bruises were gone and his hands had fresh new scars where the cuts had been._

_The hunter moved slow, testing out his limbs with a grateful smile. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that… thank you.” Chris bit his lip and slowly closed the distance between them. Was he going to-? His breath caught in his throat, and he could swear he heard Peter’s catch too. Chris’s lips met his cheek for a short, sweet peck._

_He couldn’t help but smile though for he should have known Chris wouldn’t make a first move quite that bold. But he knew what it meant nonetheless and grasped Chris’s hand in his own as he leaned over and kissed his cheek in return._

_“Damn,” Peter breathed, “Wouldn’t mind watching that for the rest of my life.”_

_Which earned him a blush from both Chris and Noah before they playfully nudged him._

_That night marked a turning point in their fragile relationship. They grew closer, hung out more, and something bloomed between the three of them that was unmistakably love. They knew the dangers involved, with their families being what they were. But they didn’t care, at some point, the joy of being together overshadowed the fear of Elias and Gerard._

_It all came crashing down two weeks after Malia and Stiles were born._

“My father had never been a kind man, neither was Gerard. But I never could have imagined that Gerard would lose it the way he did. We never quite had the proof we needed to put him behind bars, but we knew it was him.” Noah took a deep breath and continued his story.

_Talia had been the first one down that morning, waddling to the mailbox as her belly was still swollen with child. She returned with a large brown looking envelope addressed to Chris and Noah. They’d just gotten down themselves, with Chris holding Allison, Noah holding onto Malia, and Peter holding onto Jackson and Stiles._

_She placed the envelope in front of them on the coffee table as they sat down in the living room, placing the girls in their baby playpen to hang out for a bit while Peter focused on keeping the boys entertained._

_Jackson was cuddled up against his chest, trying to reach for Peter’s long locks with his chubby little hand but having very little success with it. Stiles was curled up in the crook of Peter’s elbow and on his lower arm, occasionally yawning as he cuddled closer to his father’s warmth._

_Peter had laid himself down on the couch, head propped up on one end and his feet in Chris’s lap. Noah was sitting on Chris’s left so he could keep an eye on the girls._

_Chris carefully picked up the envelope and opened it, frowning as he slowly lifted the content out. “They’re pictures?”_

_“Of what?” Peter raised an eyebrow at that, concern apparent in his eyes._

_He couldn’t help but stare at the photos Chris was holding, and Chris himself had frozen in his seat. “Of the cribs, they’re taken from the tree outside the window.”_

_He was right, the shot was clearly made from an angle above the window, looking down into the room and onto the cribs where both sets of twins were sleeping. On the photo there was a line written in red marker; **We know what you’ve done.** _

_The next few shots, as he helped Chris leaf through them, consisted of Chris and Peter, Noah and Peter, or Chris and Noah making out or being intimate. Most of the shots had been taken from the ground as the camera had to look up, but there were a few that were taken from the same angle in the tree. One of the pictures of Chris and Peter had the word **whore** written on it in the red marker. Another, one of the three of them together, had the word **monster fucker** written on it. A picture of Allison and Jackson in Chris’s arms, taken from a close distance from between some bushes judging by the leaves on the edges, had the word; **abominations** on it._

_And there were several more, all of them marked with a slur or sentence meant to freak them out. It certainly worked for Chris, as the former hunter went through the pictures looking horrified and sick._

_“Chris it’s just a tactic, they have nothing on you,” Noah whispered, though honestly he didn’t really believe it, and judging by the looks on Talia and Peter’s faces, they didn’t either._

_“They’ve just proven they can get on this property, take pictures, and invade the territory without us knowing. Without the **werewolves** knowing. How’s that just a tactic?” Chris whispered._

_He honestly didn’t know and he felt absolute dread settling inside him as he could make out the edges of the next pictures in Chris’s hand. He couldn’t help but look away as Chris pulled up the next picture. He **knew** that wallpaper on the wall, it was the wallpaper of his parents’ bedroom._

_As much as he despised Elias for everything the man had done to him, he didn’t want to see him at the mercy of whoever was coming after them. He certainly didn’t want to see him tied up in chains, bleeding from his eyes and ears and brought down to his knees. The word **worthless** written down in front of him in the man’s own blood._

_He felt Chris’s eyes on him, saw the way his hand shook as he held the photo of the bloodied and bound Elias. He honestly didn’t know how he felt about it as he took another look. “You think it was Gerard and the hunters?”_

_At that, Chris let out a dark chuckle. “Who else would have the motive? Especially considering the first few pictures, it feels personal.”_

_It did. And what was scarier was that they figured out a way to bring an old druid like Elias down like that. Judging by the crazed look in the old man’s bleeding eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder just what they’d done to the druid’s mind as well._

_“Can we identify anyone in the photos? Anyone who might have done this?” Talia said. She looked as concerned as he felt. But he honestly couldn’t see anyone, not even a shadow of the person who took the photo. Chris shook his head too._

_“They were careful, even paid attention to shadows,” Chris said._

_Peter, who had been quiet up until that moment, spoke up. “There has to be something. A slip-up, a mistake. Maybe in the tree or in the bushes where they took those. Anything that’ll help us catch them. Because there’s no way I’m going to let them get away with this.”_

_“Have a look yourself,” Chris said as he handed all the pictures but one over to Peter. He kept the last picture himself as he hadn’t gotten to that one yet. What they saw then, turned their blood cold as ice._

_Talia’s scream cut through the house._

_The twins cried as they were rudely awakened and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs thundered through his ears. It couldn’t be…_

_There was no way Gerard could have gotten a hold on him. Not without a massive fight. Or had he gone willingly to protect them? He wouldn’t put it past the older wolf._

_The photograph itself depicted him lying on the ground, bleeding from his eyes and with 3 deep scratches over his face. The edges of his eye sockets had burn wounds on them from some sort of chemical, probably an acid if he had to take a guess, but there was no mistaking who’d they’d attacked._

_It was Deucalion._

“After that,” Chris took over, “We made a pact. Peter didn’t agree at first, he fought tooth and nail for us to stay together, but in the end, I managed to convince him. I told him it was just for a few years, that we’d be back together soon. That Noah’s ruse with Claudia would be temporary…”

He sighed and looked down at his hands and went quiet. Noah gently reached out, pulled him closer, and gently ran his fingers over Chris’s. A gesture that was noticed by the kids and he could practically see Jackson and Stiles file it away for future reference.

“I couldn’t see past my own trauma and fears. I was convinced that apart, I could keep Peter, Noah, and our family safe. That by going into hiding we could escape dad’s clutches and come back together. I should have known that was a foolish thought.”

“Then why did you? Why didn’t you come back together when you realized your mistake?” Derek asked, looking at him with such concern and emotion that he really just wanted to run and hide.

Everything could have been prevented if he’d just been able to face his fears head-on. Everything was his fault and he knew it. Dad had been right. He was nothing more than a soldier made for battle. A terrible, awful, good for nothing soldier who was afraid to fight for what he believed in, because laying down and dying inside was so much easier than fighting. He was worthless. He was nothing. And everything that had happened to those he loved, happened because of him. If only he’d been braver, better, stronger. He would have been able to save his family, to prevent them from being torn apart. Everything was his fault. He caused this.

He forced himself to sort through his feelings of fear, of confusion, of shame, and took a deep breath. “Because I was afraid. I was afraid that Noah and Peter would hate me for what I made us do. We were barely eighteen with four kids to look after and my fear and my trauma had so much influence and hold on me, that I convinced myself and the two people I loved more than anything else that being apart was safer than staying together.” 

It was his fault.

Peter being in a coma. The fire. Everything started because of him. Because he dared to dream. He dared to hope things could be different. He should’ve known nothing he ever did could make things better. He just made things worse.

“I caused all this pain because I thought I could save us if we stayed apart and I made everything worse.” He couldn’t help but say, though his words sounded strangled and pained. “It’s all my fault.”

“Chris-” He felt Noah pull him in closer and he willingly went and laid his head against Noah’s shoulder. A silence fell over the kids as they watched him break down in front of them.

“Maybe it is.” It was Jackson who broke the silence after a few minutes. “Maybe it isn’t. It doesn’t matter anymore, who’s fault it is. It happened and you can’t change that. You made a decision based on fear that tore a family apart for seventeen years instead of fighting back. And yeah, you didn’t make it alone but you made it, all three of you. Can I understand why? Not really, well I can, but I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like-”

“Jackson-” Allison said, staring at her brother in shock.

“No-” He held up his hand and waved her off, “-I can’t imagine what that was like for you or why you had to make it. Because you protected me from that. And I’m pissed and grateful and I don’t know how to process that. I don’t know whether I want to hug you or slap you into next Sunday and I’m gonna need some time.”

“I- I can’t do this,” Jackson rose from his seat and shook his head, “I can’t play happy family and pretend everything is fine when it’s not.”

“You don’t have to,” Chris said. “You don’t have to be happy with me, you can hate me if you want to. I understand why you would.” He let out a shaky breath. “But please, sit down and listen for a little longer.”

“It’s not going to change anything.” Malia bit back, her eyes glowing golden in her emotion. “You still lied, you all did. Even if you meant well, you still lied- I could have had a sister! Another brother, two of them! And dad- I never really understood why he always looked at us with sadness, now I do. And maybe he had a part in that too, but he wanted us, all of us, to be back together. Especially after mom-” 

Malia had to look down, her eyes tightly shut as Stiles wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. The young druid looked at them with tears in his eyes. “Was it worth it? All of this? The pain, the lies, staying apart?”

And somehow that question was worse, because it made him question his own decisions and his own insecurities dug a deeper hole into his chest. Was it worth it? It had been for a long while, his kids had gotten to grow up safely, away from the hunter life and away from his father’s influence. But the safety net had fallen six years ago when Claudia died and things had gotten more complicated when he returned. The look on Peter’s face- He closed his eyes and let tears fall.

“It was for a while,” Chris said. “For eleven years we kept you safe and sound. Away from danger. But it went on too long and I should have brought us all back six years ago. Maybe things would have been different if I had.” He let Noah hold him close as he cried and let their words sink into him. “I was wrong in hiding it and I was wrong in keeping this family apart.”

“You weren’t the only one,” Noah said softly. “We made a decision together and we made those mistakes together.” He looked at the kids. “And we’ll find a way to make it up to you.”

“I hope you can,” Allison looked at him as if he’d brought her entire world down, and honestly, maybe he had and it tore at him, “I think the others already said what we feel. Betrayed, hurt, scared. But that’s because we can’t process what happened. I’m grateful for what you tried to do, I never had to worry about being shot or hit or hurt. But I’m angry about all the lies you told. Angry for all the pain and suffering and I swear if you ever do it again I will slap you from Sunday into Monday.”

“Papa, I’m scared.” Ben slowly approached him and hugged his leg. He couldn’t take it, he bent down and gently scooped the five-year-old into his arms and into a loving hug. 

He let tears fall freely as he cuddled Ben close and gently ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, sport. I’m sorry for everything.”

“It’s okay,” Ben just cuddled closer and stared at Rabbit for a minute before tucking him in the collar of Chris’s shirt. “He can keep us both safe now.” Ben whispered, “So the bad people can’t hurt us.”

He smiled as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks and pressed a loving, warm kiss to Ben’s forehead as he held his youngest. “My savior.”

Another silence fell over the group.

“For a long time,” Everyone’s gaze turned to Derek, “I blamed you and your family for everything. My family’s downfall, my father’s mutilation, the fire. None of it would have occurred if you hadn’t come to Beacon Hills in 1993. I was angry, hurt and I needed a scapegoat to get me through my own nightmares. Thinking that you were in on all of it was just easy.”

Derek bit his lip and sighed softly. “Truth be told I still blame you for a lot of things, emotionally that is. Not because I think you are responsible for your family’s actions, that you were in on it, or that it is your fault they came after mine, but it feels that way. It still does. And that’s not fixed in a day or even a month. It’s gonna take time to heal.”

The young wolf ran a hand through his hair. “But logically speaking, I know that you’re not responsible for what your family did. And I know that the decisions you made with Uncle Noah and Uncle Peter, they were made with the best intentions. What matters for us now, is how you drive this situation forward. What will you do to set things right?”

Derek rose from his seat, gaining the further attention of the others in the room. “Are you going to run again, Uncle Chris? Or are you going to stand up and fight for this family?”

The implications in Derek’s words weren’t lost on him. Derek blamed him for everything the Hale family had gone through, hell he blamed himself for that too. But what was more interesting was the phrase Derek had said to him yesterday, when he’d asked about the fire and who’d instigated it. _It would break you._ Had he said that because he knew one of the Argents was behind the fire? 

That thought alone almost brought him to his knees, he even wobbled briefly, keeping a tighter hold on Ben just as Noah surged up and Derek surged forward to catch him. But he managed to stay upright, tears pricking in his eyes that spilled over when Derek gave him the tiniest of nods in confirmation.

It had been his fault. Ultimately, it all came down to that.

His breathing was ragged and he trembled but he squared his jaw as he looked into his nephew’s eyes. “I’m done running. But I can’t fight everyone on my own.”

At that, Derek smiled. “You won’t have to.” He shared a look with Noah who stood beside Chris. “As long as you’re willing to fight, we’ll fight beside you.”

He didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve their support no matter how little or how reluctant it was. He felt his knees tremble a little and Noah’s arm around his middle holding him up while he held Ben closer to him. 

“I’m not letting you leave again,” Noah whispered, resting their foreheads together, “I’m not making that mistake twice.”

Ben protested lightly, as their current position kinda squeezed him between the two adults. They took a step back and Noah ruffled Ben’s hair in apology, which earned him a smile and a playful swat of a hand. Ben focused back on him and adjusted Rabbit, who was still stuffed in his collar.

He couldn’t help but smile down at the pup and gently brushed back his hair. “Then we fight for everything we hold dear in this world. We’ll pick up the pieces in the aftermath,” He raised his eyes and met Derek’s, “Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent.”

“We hunt those who hunt us.” Derek translated automatically, though he seemed a little confused. Noah smiled though. “We’ll turn their own code against them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter conveyed emotion, I cried a few times when I wrote this but that's also because I gave my own survival story to Chris. I'm a trauma survivor of child abuse and this story is helping me go through therapy and helping me heal. 
> 
> My narrative is given to Chris because it honestly works really well for him, but that's also why it's a hard thing for me to write and why I can't really keep this chapter going. 
> 
> So I'm going to try to move on semi-naturally from here. It might still seem a bit jarring, I'm sorry if it does. But I hope you stick with me and this story.
> 
> The next chapter will show Peter and how the teenagers react to him being in a coma. Nurse Jennifer and Melissa will make an appearance. And Jackson and Scott sneak off to the video store. Chaos ensues.
> 
> As always let me know what you think, I hope you like it. If you don't, you can let me know, but I might not respond to you. As I'm writing this story for myself and other survivors. This story is meant to you make see what goes through our heads, it's meant to make you think. And I hope it does that well.
> 
> For those of you that stuck with me so far, from the deepest parts of my heart and soul, thank you for being here. You've given me purpose and something to live for in this pandemic. You've made me see I can be a writer. So thank you for that, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift than having you here with me. <3


	10. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before editing and in the rough draft this chapter spans a little over 15K. I don't know how much it'll be after editing, but I'm happy with what I've written here.
> 
> The stakes are higher, more threats on the horizon and we're almost near the top of the mountain until it all comes crashing down.
> 
> I've made a playlist for this story which can be found on Spotify, here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/78JQLnn3DurEPPRuf3vWuC?si=XeHBAsGRTEmjBqMkd3qluQ
> 
> If you have any suggestions for songs to add to it, feel free to leave them in the comments. Would love to get songs of several representations in there as well.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter are:  
> \- Canon death of a minor character  
> \- angst  
> \- Consensual sex  
> \- Knotting  
> \- Mentions of murder  
> \- Idk what Peter's state falls under, but that might need a warning

_“Daddy!”_

_He looked up from his book; the intricacies of soulmates, grinning when he spotted Malia running down the drive. He quickly put the book down and walked down the porch to catch the little whirlwind mid-run and spin her around. “Hey, sweetheart.”_

_He pressed a kiss to her temple and hugged her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose in the scent gland on his neck._

_“I missed you, daddy. I missed you so much!” Malia squeezed him tight and held onto his shirt with a death-grip._

_It had been three months since he last saw them at Christmas. They’d come over to celebrate the twins’ fifth birthday._

_“I missed you too, baby.” He murmured into her hair. He closed his eyes and simply held her for a moment. Reveling in her scent and warmth. Three months might seem like a short time, but for him, every day without his mates or pups was pure torture. Every day he felt a piece of him die because he couldn’t hold Malia, Mieczysław, Allison, Jackson, Noah, or Chris whenever he needed or wanted. His family was torn apart because one man couldn’t handle seeing his own son’s happiness. He couldn’t even imagine how fucked up you had to be to actively try and prevent happiness._

_And while he had once agreed that staying apart was the best thing for them, that hiding would keep them safer, he no longer believed that. They were stronger now, faster, more mature. Noah had surpassed Elias in power last year, he himself was almost on par with Talia herself. He was definitely stronger than his father or Merlia. It’s why Talia had named him the left hand of the pack. He was the warrior, the protector._

_It almost felt like a stab in the back to be called that, considering he couldn’t protect his own family from the monstrosity of hunters._

_“Daddy, daddy!” Another little voice cut through the air as Mischief came running up to him. He shifted Malia in his arms and scooped his son up mid-run._

_“My little mischief-maker,” He smiled and kissed his son’s forehead, looking at both of them with pride and joy shining in his eyes. There was always a pang of sadness though, for as much as he loved both of them, he would always miss these moments with Allison and Jackson. And as much as he tried to shake those feelings, he never really could. “I missed you both so much.”_

_“I missed you too, daddy.” Mischief said, tucking his head under Peter’s chin._

_“I missed you the most!” Malia immediately said._

_“Did not!”_

_“Did too.”_

_The twins started bickering, though his own laughter soon drowned it out. He kissed both of their heads and let a few joyful tears fall as he listened to their arguing. He watched as Noah approached, smiling sadly as he walked up to him and the twins._

_“It’s good to see you again.” The druid said. He too had a certain sadness in his eyes. Would Noah listen to his plight if he brought it up? Would the druid come back to him so they could find Chris?_

_“It is,” He replied softly as he set the twins back on their feet, “It’s getting harder to let you go every day.”_

_“We made a decision, Peter.” Noah sighed, “For as long as needed.”_

_“Is it still? Are we not stronger?” He asked, momentarily distracted when Mischief hung on his arm and whined at him. “Daddy! I wanna go say hi.”_

_“Then go say hi, puppy, nothing’s holding you back. Your sister’s off.” He nodded to where Malia had already run into Derek’s arms._

_“But you need to come with me!”_

_He sighed softly but smiled at his son anyway and scooped him back up without another word. “Alright, alright. Let’s go say hi to everyone.”_

_“Yeah!” Mischief grinned at him and kicked his legs in excitement, “Let’s go, daddy!”_

_“The things we do for love.” Peter sighed dramatically, giving Noah a quick wink and giving a quick nod to Claudia, who was coming up behind everyone, before jogging back up the drive to hand Mischief off to his sisters and brother._

_Noah looked back at Claudia and gently wrapped an arm around her waist as she approached so he could help support her. “The things we do for love, indeed.” He muttered, earning him a swat from the other druid._

_“Oh shut it, It’s a small sacrifice to make.” Claudia bit back._

_“Sure,” Noah said, “It’s just your life.”_

_-_

_He waited outside the doors and listened for a few minutes, closing his eyes as he heard Noah’s desperate pleas._

_“Claudia please, listen to me. This isn’t you-” His mate’s voice was broken as if he hadn’t slept in days._

_“You need to get them out, they’re killing me!” Claudia screamed, wildly pointing to the two cowering children in the corner of the room._

_“Then break the spell for god’s sake!” Noah pleaded, “Break it and we’ll find a way to heal you.”_

_Claudia shook her head, chanting “no no no no no no no-” continuously as she rocked back and forth on her feet. “I have to protect them, they will hurt them if I don’t.”_

_He didn’t know what to do. Another crash followed and he heard the twins whimper in fear. That spurred him into action. He walked into the room, immediately noticing the fallen bedside table and the two cowering children in the corner. He crossed the distance to Claudia and gently brought her down from her standing position on the bed to hold her in a firm grip on the floor. She sobbed and fought against his hold but she was no match for the werewolf strength he possessed._

_“Claudia, please. You’re losing your mind because of the spell. They’re old enough to go without that protection, they can learn to protect themselves. Please just break it and let us save you.” Noah’s eyes were full of tears and he couldn’t bear to watch him break. But he forced himself to._

_He forced himself to watch his mate see the light go out in his best friend’s eyes, forced himself to hold onto Claudia as she went limp in his arms. He forced himself to look at Noah as he broke down crying while holding onto Claudia’s limp body. He forced himself to keep holding on to her as a few tears rolled down his cheeks._

_He’d wanted to get Noah and Chris back for a long time, had argued time and time again with Noah to get back together. The short visits weren’t enough, they were too short and too infrequent. Not to mention the strain Claudia was putting herself through to keep a protection spell over the twins going._

_He had argued with Claudia too, argued that her energy core would run out eventually. That they should save their strength to launch an offense instead of staying defensive. But the fear within both druids had been strong. After what happened to Elias, most druids had left Beacon Hills. Only Deaton, Claudia, and Noah himself remained._

_And right now, as he held her limp body and listened to her faint heartbeat, he knew that that fear was what would eventually take her life. It was just a matter of time._

_-_

_The day of her funeral he stood beside Noah, keeping his head cast down as they lowered her into the ground. He felt Noah’s magic pulse, saw the druid tremble as the first roses were put onto her casket and held him up with a hand on his lower back as they buried her._

_He held Noah as he sobbed, comforted him as best he could in his grief, and tried his best to be there for the grieving druid and the two grieving children who stood beside him. None of this was supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to die like this. With her life force drained and her mind destroyed. Just because she tried to protect her godchildren._

_She was supposed to die as an old woman, with Melissa and her son Scott at her side. Maybe eventually they would have had children of their own. But none of that would come to pass. Because Claudia had given her life to protect his children and to protect his mate from those that hunted them._

_He guided Noah inside the funeral home after the ceremony outside and made him sit down at a lonely table. Merlia and Nathaniel had taken Malia and Mischief, for the time being, providing them with support and comfort while their parents looked after each other._

_“Noah?” His voice was soft and gentle, for the druid looked like any hard noise of sudden sound would set him off. And they didn’t want any accidents to occur, not today, not with this many people around._

_“I can’t believe she’s gone. And for what?” The druid sobbed softly, “What was the point?”_

_He didn’t have an answer, none that would satisfy in any way. Gerard was… a piece of work. A monster of a man who couldn’t accept that his only son wanted out to be with the people he loved. He couldn’t accept that his only son was his own person, and so he tried to destroy three families and succeeded. Maybe that was the worst part. That evil triumphed._

_Noah’s breath was ragged as he looked at him, tears rolling down as his entire body shook. “He killed her too. He mutilated Duke, destroyed my father’s mind, and took her life. Because of hate, that’s all this is, isn’t it?”_

_He honestly didn’t know. Maybe it was more, maybe it was just that. Hate. Intolerance. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. All I know is that he’s wrong and he’s the only one at fault.”_

_“’ S not Chris’s fault.” Noah sobbed softly shaking his head. “Was never his fault. Just Gerard’s.”_

_He was honestly surprised by that statement. Did Noah think he meant… oh hell no. “What? Of course not. Hey,” He gently turned Noah’s head so the druid had to look him in the eyes. “None of this is our fault, not yours, not mine, not Chris’s. We did nothing wrong, we only loved.”_

_Noah slowly nodded at that, sniffing a little to get some of the tears and snot away. “I just hope he’s okay.”_

_A soft “I am,” came from behind him, he looked up in surprise and simply stared for what felt like an eternity._

_Gone were the spikes or the buzzed sides, instead Chris’s blond hair was cut short in a typical dad haircut and there was a soft-looking beard and mustache on his face that hadn’t filled out yet. Instead of a Green Day shirt, he wore a black suit and a gray tie that brought out the silver in his eyes. He looked so different, so much older, as all three of them did, and yet he still looked completely the same._

_“Chris?” Noah choked out as he took in Chris’s form for himself, rising from his seat to close the distance between them. “Is it really? How? But the-”_

_Chris smiled sadly and slowly wrapped his arms around Noah, tucking his head under the druid’s chin. “I can’t believe you actually grew past me. How did that happen?”_

_“Had a growth spurt at eighteen,” Noah chuckled sadly, wiping away his tears, “But Chris what are you doing here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you’re here but-”_

_“But what about the pact?” Chris asked, a dark chuckle escaping him, “I figured that the least I could do for her was say goodbye properly, considering she died for the pact. She didn’t deserve that.”_

_“No she didn’t,” Peter said, gently reaching out to touch both of their cheeks, “She really didn’t. But we’re glad you’re here.”_

_Noah ran his hands over Chris’s patchy beard, smiling sadly as he stared into the hunter’s eyes. Chris’s eyes had turned weary through the years as if he’d seen and gone through shit that they couldn’t even imagine. And he probably had, considering who his family was and what they would have made him do. But for today, none of that mattered. Because for one day, for one measly event, they had their hunter back. Although their minds were dark and Noah’s was barely forming coherent thoughts, that was enough to get them through._

_Throughout the reception, Chris stood by them, offering his support to Noah whenever the druid needed him and paying his respects to the Hale and Gajos families. He wasn’t sure what he found more heartbreaking, Noah breaking down throughout everyone’s condolences while Chris and Peter himself kept him from collapsing. Or Chris breaking down in front of Claudia’s father whilst apologizing continuously and Claudia’s father just hugging Chris in return. A soft, “It’s not your fault son. It never was,” Coming from him as he sobbed his heart out. No father should ever have to bury his own child. He couldn’t even imagine that pain. And he sincerely hoped he would never experience it._

_After the reception and funeral, they brought Noah and the twins home, making sure they had some food in them and were safe for the time being. Chris had offered to stay for a few more hours but Noah had declined, stating that he just wanted to be with his kids tonight. And they respected that enough to leave him be and let him grief._

_Once they were back outside and near their cars, Chris turned to him and gave him a sympathetic smile. “I should go back, Julio is watching Jackson and Allison for now but I shouldn’t leave them for too long.”_

_“Does Melissa know her brother is still in the circle?” He couldn’t imagine she did, considering she cut all ties with her family and the hunters when she married Rafe of all people. He never quite understood that union, especially when Melissa could have had Claudia instead of Rafe, but love was a strange thing, he supposed. The fact that he loved both a druid and a hunter was a testament to that._

_“Doubt it, I don’t think he’s seen her in ten years. I don’t even know if he knows about her son.” Chris shrugged, biting his lip. “It was good seeing you again, look after Noah for me?”_

_He reached out and grasped the hunter’s wrist. “We can do that together if you stay.”_

_Chris looked torn but shook his head after a few minutes. “You know I can’t, he’s brought me back in and if he finds out…”_

_He couldn’t listen to this, wouldn’t let Chris bring himself down like this. “You don’t have to go back to him, Chris. We’re stronger now- We’re goddamn twenty-eight, not seventeen anymore! We can fight him off!”_

_He knew they could bring Gerard down if they worked together. Noah’s power had grown with every year, Chris looked like he was packing some serious muscles from years of hunting. And Peter, Peter was the strongest Beta that had ever come out of the Hale pack. His power rivaled Talia’s and the only reason she was Alpha was because of their family’s genetics and how it favored their women. He’d accepted that by now, knowing that their Alpha power would go to Laura, to Cora and then to Merlia before it would go to him._

_In the meantime he made sure he would become stronger than the Alpha of his pack, he learned the rituals, trained hard every day, and worked hard to uphold the peace among the packs surrounding Beacon Hills. Which is also why he knew, he **knew** , that he could bring down Gerard if he had Chris and Noah there with him. Things had changed in their favor._

_“You don’t know what he’s capable of! Goddammit Peter, just-! Argh!” Chris turned his back to him and tried to pull himself free from the werewolf’s grasp. He seemed frustrated and scared but also as if all he really wanted to do was just give in and run back into his arms._

_He held on, spun Chris back around, and pinned him against his car and his own body. “Please just stay with me, just for one day.”_

_Chris looked torn, he could practically see the moment all fight left the hunter. Felt the first sobs starting in his mate’s body and just held on for dear life until the sobbing stopped._

_“I can’t, he’ll know.” Chris bit out._

_“No he won’t, not if it’s just one day.” And maybe tomorrow he could convince Chris to stay one more day, pick up the kids from Julio together. And stay one more day. If he could do that every day, while taking care of Noah together, then maybe eventually Chris would conquer his fear. He’d see what Peter could see, a future where they could be a family. All it took was one foot in, Chris had to give him that much._

_“One day.” He held his breath, feeling the little twitches and trembles going through the Omega’s body while he focused on maintaining eye contact with those blue silver speckled eyes._

_After what felt like an eternity, Chris nodded. “One day.”_

_He wasn’t sure how they ended up in Chris’s motel room on the outskirt of town, the drive over was kinda blurred. It didn’t matter anyway. For he had Chris back in his arms, his warm body leaning on him as he slowly undid Chris’s tie and helped him out of his jacket. He let Chris do the same for him, and slowly guided the Omega to the bathroom. Undoing the buttons on Chris’s shirt as they walked and smiling when the Omega’s nimble fingers made quick work of his shirt. Dress pants and shoes followed as they hit the bathroom door and they stumbled through, his hands cupping Chris’s face as their lips met in loving, tender kisses._

_They broke apart, breathing heavily as they looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. He slowly reached out, letting his fingers trail over Chris’s cheek and down his chin, pressing a sweet kiss to those red lips. Warmth flowed through him, the little string in his chest pulsing and vibrating with every touch, every breath, and every smile._

_He felt himself falling for him all over again. Even though his face now held new fine lines and there were new scars on his arms and hands, as he stared into those blue silver-flecked eyes he could still see the same handsome young hunter he’d once fallen for. He slowly closed the distance between them again, pressing a loving kiss to the hunter’s lips, earning a smile for his effort._

_Chris trailed his fingers under his shirt and up to his abs and chest before gently pulling the offending garment off, leaving him bare-chested and only in his underwear and socks. He let those rough, scarred hands explore the new firm muscle that he’d developed in the last decade, gasping as those fingers flicked over a nipple. “Someone’s getting kinky,” he chuckled, leaning over to nip at red lips._

_“As if you’d mind.” The hunter merely grinned at him and trailed his hands up, placing flat, scar filled palms against his pecs and letting them roam over his pecs and shoulders. They trailed down his arms, making him shiver at the sensation and anticipation, all the way down to his hands where those fingers intertwined with his own. The Omega stepped closer and captured his lips in another loving kiss._

_This was the sweet young man he’d fallen for, the shy but kind and strong hunter who’d marched into his life with quippy backtalk and a fantastic ass. The young man who, despite his fears and broken mentality, had seen through his sarcasm and defensive behavior, and had brought out the absolute best in him. Just like Noah had a few years before him. The two of them combined had shown him a side of himself that he’d never known existed. They’d shown him he could be a man of patience, of kindness, of virtue. That he had it in him to be a loving partner to two strong young men and a fantastic father to four infants. They’d shown him that he was so much more than just the boy who lived in his sister’s shadow. They’d saved him as much as he saved them._

_That was the feeling he poured back into their kiss, the feeling he conveyed as he slowly lifted Chris’s shirt and roamed his eyes over the exposed skin. Chris covered himself upon instinct, smiling sadly at Peter’s lustful look. “I know it’s not like it used to be,” Chris whispered._

_“No, it’s not,” He agreed, gently lifting Chris’s arms of his chest to expose it. Chris looked at him, surprised confusion clear in his eyes, “It’s far more beautiful.”_

_Chris cast his eyes down and blushed, he gently lifted the hunter’s chin and smiled. His fingers trailed over old and new scars, down Chris’s shoulder and collar bones. “There are new scars from battles, battles you fought to protect our children.”_

_His fingers moved further down to where Chris’s chest had squared up and filled up slightly, both from muscle mass and breastfeeding a set of twins. “A strong softness, from where you fed our children.”_

_He trailed his fingers further down while Chris’s breath stuttered, still smiling a little mischievously as he ran his fingers over his defined abdomen and old faded stretch marks around his belly button and hips. “Marks from carrying them inside you.”_

_He rested his hands on the hunter’s hips. “Your body tells our story and there’s nothing more attractive to me than that.” He muttered, pulling him close to capture his lips into another loving kiss._

_Gently, he slipped his boxers down and expertly did the same with the hunter’s, turning on the motel’s bathtub tap by leaning over the Omega. Giving him a gentle slap on his ass, smirking at the slightly offended look Chris gave him. “Just showing my appreciation.”_

_Chris responded with a chuckle, placed a hand on his chest, and maneuvered him to sit on the edge of the tub with his knees apart. He felt a little vulnerable with himself exposed like that but didn’t show it, just casually leaned back and gave the hunter better access. Chris kneeled between his knees, his breath briefly ghosting over Peter’s cock, which twitched in interest. But the hunter didn’t come closer, merely let his breath tease him a bit before leaning further down to get both of their socks off. He came back up, lips hovering over the tip of his cock before the Omega smirked and pulled back. He couldn’t help but growl at his antics._

_“Just showing my appreciation,” The little bastard quipped back, gently guiding him further back into the bathtub before following him._

_Motel baths weren’t exactly big to start with, and this was one of those places that you went to stay low and out of sight, so the bath itself was tiny. Maneuvering two fully grown men into it was a bit of a task, one that involved some slip and slides and plenty of giggling and laughter as it was almost absurd. But eventually, they managed. Chris lying on top of him, back to chest, sitting in between Peter’s legs while the Alpha washed his upper body and short hair._

_He reached down after he was done washing the Omega’s hair, his fingers trailing over his abdomen, down to his belly button, and into the soft blond curls that covered his cunt. He stilled his hand there, asking for silent permission. Chris looked up at him, a smile on his lips as he captured Peter’s with his own and laid his hand on top of Peter’s, guiding him down to stroke the soft skin of his labia and show him the circular motions he preferred around his clit._

_Peter paid close attention to the way Chris’s hand moved on top of his, copying the movement down to the last muscle twitch. He reveled in the way Chris’s breath stuttered at his ministrations, at the little twitches of his body as he rubbed circles of varying pressure over the sensitive nub. Sometimes keeping his touch featherlight, other times applying just the right amount to draw a moan from the Omega. He slowly increased his touch, varying the pace so Chris couldn’t get too used to one particular movement to keep him on edge. His other hand slowly rubbing over Chris’s abdomen and sides, making its way up to his chest. He smiled at the way Chris’s breath shuddered as featherlight fingers traced over his ribs, his cock twitching against his back as he felt the Omega shudder and heard him moan._

_“Peter…” The breathless whisper made him focus back onto Chris’s eyes, his pupils were dilated, bringing out more of the silver in them. His mouth caught in a silent ‘O’ as he slipped a single finger inside him. He used the back of his palm to apply a rotating pressure while fucking him with the single digit. Chris gasped and moaned, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss while his body twitched and squirmed at his touch. They broke apart for air, a lazy smile on the Omega’s features as he reached up and tangled his fingers in Peter’s dry hair. “Take me to bed.”_

_He couldn’t resist that request and slowly withdrew his hand from the Omega’s cunt and helped him up on his feet. They drained the bath, helped one another dry off, and stumbled into the cold motel room and towards the bed. He kept reaching out, placing soft kisses to the Omega’s lips as Chris guided him onto the bed and crawled on top of him. The soft, lazy kisses slowly turned more heated, drawing soft little moans from both of them as their bodies rubbed against one another._

_Peter smiled, warm and lazy as he carefully flipped Chris onto his side and spooned up behind him. The Omega cracked and laughed at the sudden movement, stretching out like a lazy cat and reaching for Peter’s cheek as the Alpha spooned him._

_“Hmm, someone’s excited.” He grinned, squirming a little against Peter’s hard cock._

_He moaned as that perfect tight ass rubbed against him and stilled those hips with a single hand. He might have been putting a little bit of his werewolf strength into it, enough to keep him from moving, but not enough to hurt him. It seemed to amuse Chris to no end though._

_“That’s cheating.” Chris chuckled._

_“That’s necessary,” he corrected, “Otherwise this party is gonna be over before it starts. And that would be a goddamn shame.” He lifted his fingers to Chris’s lips. “If you’d like to continue this, I’m going to need some lube.”_

_Chris shot him a quick, seductive smile and wrapped his lips around two of Peter’s fingers. He started licking at them, flattening his tongue against them and curling around the two digits to get them nicely coated with his saliva. Once he felt no more resistance or friction he let them go with a pop. Only to find Peter gaping at him. “What?”_

_“That was freaking hot,” The Alpha muttered, capturing the hunter’s lips as he brought the slick fingers down to Chris’s cunt again. He made eye contact with Chris, who gave him a small nod in return and opened his legs a bit wider so he had better access. He started as gentle as he could, slowly building up pressure and intensity as he stroked, rubbed, and carefully tapped to see just what the hunter liked best. Nibbling, kissing, and biting Chris’s neck while he worked his magic. He let Chris’s gasps, moans, and muscle tremors guide him to let him know what worked and what didn’t. Until Chris was a moaning mess next to him and he could easily slip two fingers inside with a soft squelch._

_“Gorgeous-” He whispered into the Omega’s ear, nipping at it as he circled his clit with two slick fingers._

_“Peter,” Chris moaned, pressing himself back against the Alpha as he made eye contact. Chris looked beautiful like this, thoroughly wrecked, mouth hanging open in pleasure and silver-blue eyes looking at him as if he was his whole world. “Stop teasing and fuck me.”_

_He chuckled, pressing a kiss to those red lips. “I’m not going to fuck you, darling.”_

_Chris growled impatiently, much to Peter’s amusement. “I’m going to love you.”_

_He withdrew his fingers from Chris’s cunt and replaced them with the head of his cock. Both of them groaned as he slipped in easily, his gentle, lazy thrusts made their breath hitch. And for a moment in time, all that mattered was them and the connection they had. Chris’s eyes met his own, meeting him for lazy, loving kisses as they made love in that dingy motel room._

_All he focused on was Chris and his pleasure, thrusting deep and slow while continuing his skillful manipulation of the Omega’s clit until his moans build and his inner walls contracted around him. Chris came gasping with his eyes tightly squeezed shut and his nose resting against Peter’s own. He lazily fucked the Omega through his orgasm and pressed sweet kisses to his nose and cheek. Moving his hand up to rest against Chris’s abdomen as his thrust started to lose their rhythm and his moans became more desperate, his knot slowly swelling. He held out until Chris seemed to be back to himself and made eye contact with him, giving him a silent nod. He thrust in deep, capturing Chris’s lips in a bruising kiss as his knot locked them together and he came inside his mate._

_He wrapped his arms around the Omega, pressing sweet kisses to his cheek, neck, and nose before he pulled the covers from beneath them and wrapped them around them to keep them warm. He slowly sank into a post-orgasmic sleep, cuddling Chris close as the Omega intertwined their fingers and kissed them._

_When he woke up in the morning, he was naked, sticky, and alone. All that was left of Chris was a note that simply read; **I love you, -C.**_

-

He opened red eyes and slowly stood up from his wheelchair, walking a few experimental steps before he looked back at Jennifer with a sigh. “I may not be a mind reader, but I can hear you thinking.” 

The nurse shifted on her feet, keeping her gaze down to avoid direct eye contact with him. “It’s just- I don’t think it’s a good idea to seek them out.”

For that comment alone, he wanted to rip her throat out but he was also curious to see where she was going with this. After all, she had been facilitating his escapades since the first time she saw him shift and heard his thoughts. So there had to be something that had garnered her trust and loyalty towards him. “Oh?” He managed to sound genuine, though there was a clear warning underneath it all. “Why’s that?”

“Well,” She sounded sufficiently nervous, her voice trembling and she swallowed rather heavily, “One of them didn’t join you when he could and the other just left you alone in a motel.”

“Ah,” He whispered, chuckling darkly as he turned to her and grabbed her by the throat in a flash, hard enough to make her feel it, but not enough to bruise. “Do not **ever** talk about either of them that way again! You might have seen what’s in my mind, but you have no idea, what’s in theirs.” He let her go by throwing her back violently. “You don’t have the fucking right.”

She looked up at him in fear as she grabbed her throat and quickly nodded as she scrambled to get back up on her feet. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Regardless of how things had turned out, he wouldn’t let anyone talk about Noah or Chris like that. Even after all these years his heart still yearned for them. He just wanted two things in the remainder of his life. To get revenge on Kate and Gerard Argent and their cronies for killing his pack and tearing it apart. And to have Chris and Noah back into his life, to rebuild his pack and live in peace with his mates and their children. Surely Anu could give him that much.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly, giving Jennifer a calm smile. “I’m sorry, that was rather… harsh.”

“It’s fine,” She muttered, though she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

He didn’t press further, walking away from her with steady, calm steps. “I won’t be long, be ready when I get back.”

He didn’t wait for an answer and ran off into the darkness of night. 

His body was healing during the day, active during the night. Gaining the Alpha status two nights ago had done wonders for his healing, though it came with a terrible price. Cora and Merlia had perished in the fire, they’d been home. Laura, sweet little Laura, had been killed a few nights ago. He tried to stop them, he did. But in his weakened state, he hadn’t been able to get to her on time. And then he changed as the spark was passed to him. He had accidentally bitten Melissa’s son Scott not long after that. It wasn’t a conscious choice, Scott was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and Melissa would have his balls for it if she ever found out.

His feet and nose brought him to a house on the other side of town, somewhere near the elementary school he’d visited once to get a glimpse. That little outing had asked a lot from his healing body, but it had been worth it.

He approached it from the back, careful not to leave noticeable footprints in the dirt and to mask his scent as he got closer. He vaulted over the backyard fence as silently as he could and slowly crept closer under the cover of darkness. 

Although all the lights in the house were out, he could easily make out two figures on the couch, huddled together under a cartoon blanket. Chris and Noah slept soundly, cuddled up together for warmth and comfort. They had aged through the years, of course, Chris’s beard was shaved off and his hair was riddled with gray despite only being 34. And Noah, he could see the many fine lines on the druid’s face, his blond hair also riddled with gray. Both of them had seen far too much in their lives. He supposed that was still a thing they had in common.

His heart ached at seeing them and he would have given anything to be with them and be at their side. He wanted nothing more than to run into that house and take his rightful place amongst his family. But he couldn’t, not like this and not yet. Kate Argent and her cronies were still out there, the murderers of his family still walked free. He had to take care of that first. Until he had rid the world of every single one of them and gained justice for the murder of his family, he’d have to be very careful about how he re-introduced himself. For now, that would be easiest on his pack. His pack. He quite liked the sound of that.

He smiled, genuine and warm as he stared at the two sleeping Omegas for a moment, taking a deep breath to soak up their scents and the scents of the others currently in that house. He could smell six pups, one with a new puppy scent, which had to be the youngest, Ben, and five with the scent of juveniles on them, most likely both sets of his twins and the newly bitten pup, Scott. And he could smell Derek, who had come back to find out what happened to Laura, no doubt.

He lingered for another moment, simply staring at that what had been taken from him for a little bit longer before he made up his mind and left the same way he came. Taking extra care not to leave any footprints behind, though he missed the piece of paper that fluttered to the ground just as he vaulted the fence again.

There were a few things in life that he wouldn’t forget, the scents of his family, the way Chris and Noah’s smiles could light up a room, and the scents of those that had burned his pack around him.

And he knew just where to find the first two cronies, all he had to do was follow his nose.

-

After their rather emotional morning, they let the kids decompress and take some time to themselves. Ben stayed with Noah and Chris, happily coloring away with his crayons and coloring book. And occasionally roping both adults into helping him. Not because he needed it, he was fairly good at coloring, but because this was the one time where he could have the attention of two doting adults on him.

Derek had gone outside with Jackson and Allison, keeping his distance while Jackson unleashed his frustration on a punching bag that hung from the edge of the patio, and Allison unleashed some arrows into her target on the other side of the garden.

-

With every punch Jackson threw he imagined he was punching his grandfather and his father. Not that he would ever do that in reality, he knew his father didn’t deserve that. But it felt good to imagine, to get that anger out and just punch something. He imagined it was his grandfather he was beating on, for the threats, the lies, the way he beat papa when he was a teenager. And he imagined it was his father for all the lies he told, all the things he had hidden, until he was out of breath and most of his energy had been drained for the time being.

He stood there, panting for a minute as his body trembled in unrelenting rage and pain. He couldn’t believe what his father had pulled on him, what his father was forced to do by the one person who was supposed to protect him. It wasn’t fucking fair. None of this was. 

It wasn’t fair that his father was abused. That due to that abuse his father had been forced to run just because he loved two people. It wasn’t fucking fair that that had forced him into a situation where he’d been forced to hide. Where he’d been forced to lie. For seventeen fucking years. It just wasn’t fucking fair.

He felt a sob escape him and he threw another punch in his rage, the punching back swinging up so hard and high that it landed on top of the wooden overhang with an ear-piercing bang. The whoosh of his sister’s arrows seized, he heard Ben scream from inside and saw his father run outside with a gun in his hand. Though once his father noticed that it was just him, the gun was quickly put away. 

“Jackson…” He saw his father come closer, and through his tears, he could see he looked worried. He didn’t have the fucking right, he didn’t have the fucking right to care.

He screamed “No!” in frustration, pushing his father away when he tried to pull him in close and stalked off to the other side of the garden and banged a fist on the wooden fence near the back. He couldn’t fucking handle this right now. None of it.

-

Allison had stayed quiet during the exchange, she knew better than to interfere with her brother when he was in one of his moods. But she did feel sorry for them both, her brother and her father. She was angry, sure. And just wanted to put an arrow in her grandfather’s ass for everything he’d done. But she also recognized that that anger wouldn’t get her far. So she put the arrows away when Jackson got closer to her corner and moved over to where her father stood crying silently.

She didn’t feel like hugging him, that, she was too angry for. But she also couldn’t leave him standing there crying on his own. So she reached out, teary-eyed and fighting back her cries, and gently squeezed his shoulder for comfort. “Give us some time.”

Her father nodded slowly and gave her his best smile, though it wavered nearly immediately and another batch of tears rolled down his cheeks.

She couldn’t bear to watch it and merely walked past him to put her bow away in the garage.

-

Ben, who’d been happily coloring inside, had been startled by the sudden bang and the way people started running. The five-year-old had screamed on instinct and had immediately buried himself into Noah’s arms. The druid was now rocking him and muttering words of encouragement in his ear to calm him until Ben’s cries had dissolved into snivels. The druid also noticed Allison walking past them after a few minutes and silently waved her over so he could comfort both of them. A gesture Allison couldn’t ignore, for she walked over and buried her nose in the sheriff’s chest. Mindful of her younger brother so she wouldn’t squeeze him, she let Noah hold her until her tears had dried and her mind had settled.

-

Derek had been watching the exchange silently, wandering over to the side of the overhang once everything had calmed down a little to carefully pull down the punching bag. He noticed it wasn’t exactly a light bag, it had to weigh in at about 150 pounds. For Jackson to hit it with enough force to get it up here, well, it made him wonder if Jackson was as human as Uncle Chris thought. Could Aunt Merlia’s old legends about the Hale family be true? Was that what was going on here?

Once the bag was down in place he looked between Jackson and Uncle Chris, unsure of who to approach for a minute or two. The moment Uncle Chris wiped away tears and walked back inside was the moment he knew. He walked after his uncle, letting Jackson steam in whatever the teen was thinking about. 

-

Malia had gone upstairs to Allison’s room where she sat in the bay window and stared down to where she could watch Allison shoot her arrows. And where she could hear Jackson’s frantic hits against a punching bag. Slowly breathing in and out to keep her emotions in check and her wolf calm enough. She wasn’t sure how to deal with any of it. 

A part of her wanted to shift and run. Through the woods, through the town, and just forget any of this had happened. But that wasn’t something she could do here, in the middle of suburbia. A wolf running through the streets would be cause for alarm. So she repeated the mantra her dad had taught her to keep herself focused through all the inner turmoil. “I’m a predator, not a monster. I’m a predator, not a monster.”

She startled at the sudden bang, eyes flashing yellow as she shifted into her half form and snarled at the window. When she realized who had done it and what it was, she looked at her own transformed reflection and then down at her clawed hands and let out a sob. What if a monster was what her new siblings saw her as? What if that’s all she was?

She couldn’t think like that, she shouldn’t. She was stronger and better than that. But as she sat there all alone and curled up, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if those thoughts ever became a reality. How different would it have been if they’d grown up together? How different would her life have been? She imagined they’d be quite close together. A tight-knit group of four that looked out for each other and accepted each other for what they were. 

She wouldn’t have had to hide, Stiles wouldn’t have had to hide. They wouldn’t have grown up isolated and alone. And all of this because one man threatened them and caused all these lies. She let silent tears fall and buried her claws in a pillow as she sobbed.

-

Stiles in the meantime had gone off with Scott to the guest room where they’d crashed last night. “I just don’t get it, you know? Why all the secrecy? Why the lies? I mean, I get they were scared. Hell, I would be. But after- you know, after the fire? What was the point in keeping it going?” He sighed and looked down at his hands.

He let a small ball of light run through his fingers, zigzagging it through them on instinct. It was the one good thing that had come out of this so far, the fact that he didn’t have to hide anything from Scott anymore.

Scott shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess, fear is pretty irrational, you know. And if you’ve been beaten your whole life and ridiculed and brought down. I guess I can see why Chris and your dad wanted to hide. It probably felt safer for them. Probably felt like something they knew how to do.”

Stiles looked at his friend in surprise, out of all the people in this house he hadn’t expected Scott to suddenly start making sense. But here he was with a piece of wisdom that made the most sense of everything he’d heard in the last two days. “I guess, I mean, if that’s all I knew, I would’ve stuck with what I knew too. It just sucks.”

Scott looked thoughtful for a moment and bit his lip. “Well, I mean not all of it.”

“What do you mean?” He was curious to see where Scott was going with this.

“We don’t have to hide anymore, we have people to help us,” Scott said, “And now that the truth is out, the only way forward is up, right?”

“At least for the time being I guess,” Stiles nodded, sharing a small smile with his friend, “Yeah I guess you’re right about that.”

A hard bang startled both of them and they raced to the window to see Jackson stalking off to the back fence. “What do you think that was about?”

“Seems like he’s in pain, like he’s taking this hard,” Scott said softly.

“Honestly, I think he’s got some serious issues.” Stiles shook his head and sighed, “How on earth are we related?”

Scott seemed a little uncomfortable, though he smiled mischievously as an idea seemed to hit him, “Well, when an Alpha and an Omega love each other very much…”

“Oh my god, stop talking!” Stiles said, throwing a pillow at Scott’s face in retaliation.

-

Jackson took a few deep breaths, breathing in, holding it, breathing out, and holding it. He repeated that a few times until he could feel his anger breaking and the sorrow set in. He hadn’t meant to lash out at his dad, he didn’t deserve that. Not entirely. But he was also too proud to admit when he was in the wrong. 

So he squared up and fully prepared himself to march back into the house and give dad a piece of his mind. When he noticed a little white paper lying on the ground just a few feet away from him. He walked over and picked it up, unfolding it carefully. 

It was one of Ben’s drawings.

What was it doing outside? In the bushes near the back fence of all places? He looked around to see if he could find any of Ben’s crayons or other drawing supplies but found none in the vicinity. So where had it come from?

He didn’t see any obvious footprints, though after looking around the fence he did notice that the top of the fence had a bit of dirt stuck to the upper beam. The same color of dirt that was under his feet.

It could mean several things, raccoons, wildlife, someone sneaking into and out of their garden. And until he had further proof all he could do was speculate. He quickly pocketed the drawing and walked back towards the house, trying to work out what that meant and how he was going to break it to his father.

He paused halfway to the house. Should he tell his dad? And what would he tell him? Maybe it was better to wait, gather more evidence, and then build his case so that he had evidence before he roped his dad into this. Yeah, that sounded like a better idea for now.

-

Chris had walked back inside to find Noah holding Allison and Ben. His heart constricted as he saw his oldest and youngest crying in the arms of the man he loved. Noah’s presence seemed to soothe them though, as the other Omega pressed a kiss to Allison’s forehead and let Ben scent his neck.

-

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just let it out.” The sheriff muttered.

“It’s just not fair-” Allison cried, “It’s not fair towards us, towards you, towards papa, towards dad. None of this is fair!”

“No, it’s not, it’s not. And it’s gonna take a long time before you accept it and let it go.” Noah sighed, “A long time.”

“How long did it take you?” Allison sniffled, looking up at Noah with hope-filled eyes.

“I still haven’t,” He answered honestly, “I still struggle with what we did, what we were forced to do, every day. But I also believe that we did, we did it with the best intentions. Sometimes that’s just not enough, and so somehow, you have to learn to give it space. So that you can process, but not forget.”

-

Chris walked on, past Noah, and went upstairs to check in with the others. He found Malia, quietly crying in Allison’s room first, and gently tapped on the door before he walked in.

Malia looked up at him through her tears and silently nodded for him to come in. 

He sat down opposite her and tucked himself in between the window frames for stability. “You wanna talk about it?”

She looked at him reluctantly before shrugging. “I’m just- wondering what could have been. I guess.” 

“If this mess never happened?” He was curious to hear what she thought of it but didn’t want to push her too much.

Malia looked down at her claws and quickly retracted them from the shredded pillow before nodding. “Yeah. I guess, I guess I wouldn’t have felt so alone. Neither would Stiles.” She swallowed heavily.

He didn’t push her, merely gave her a sympathetic smile, and gently laid a hand on her leg to comfort her.

It seemed to do the trick, for Malia broke down and cried. “It’s not fair. Any of this! I just want an actual functional family, without the hiding, without the violence. Why can’t we have that?”

He didn’t have an answer to that, had even asked himself that question time and time again if he were honest with himself. “I don’t know, I ask myself that every day.”

That made her look up at him. “And what do you answer?”

“He would have killed every single one of them before he let you go,” He said softly, “He’d have killed you and everyone you loved before he let you be happy.”

“That’s horrible.” Malia shifted in her seat and awkwardly climbed over some pillows so she could tuck her head under his chin and wrap her arms around him for comfort. 

He let her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, as he’d do with Allison, Ben, or Jackson. “Yes he is, but I’m not gonna let him ruin our lives again.”

At that, Malia smiled sadly and looked up at him. “I won’t let him either.”

They looked up together when Stiles and Scott walked past the room and shouting from below drifted up. 

“Maybe I don’t want to be reasonable!” That sounded like Jackson.

“So you’re gonna act like a spoiled child?!” Derek’s voice bit back.

He shared a rather worried look with Malia and sighed. 

“That doesn’t sound good,” Malia said.

“No, it doesn’t.” He muttered, slowly untangling the teenager’s hold on him to investigate the ruckus. Malia followed him closely.

He found Stiles and Scott peeking down the stairs and gestured for them to stay put as he walked past them to interfere with the current screaming match going on. The teenagers didn’t listen, of course, they didn’t. And followed close behind.

“Jackson, I know you’re upset and you have every right to be.” Noah started.

“Exactly! And yet all of you are acting like I’m the unreasonable one!” Jackson yelled.

“I don’t think you’re unreasonable, Jackson, but I would appreciate it if you could stop yelling.” Noah tried to deescalate the situation.

“You’re not my fucking parent, you just fucked them. So shut up.” Jackson bit back, though judging by the way he looked away and his nose twitched, he immediately regretted saying those words.

“Jackson!” Chris couldn’t help but snap at the teen.

“Biologically I’m not, you’re right. But I do care about you and your siblings.” Noah said softly, looking away with a crestfallen expression. “Let’s just talk things through.”

“He’s not gonna listen,” Derek said, nodding towards Jackson, “He’s too much like Uncle Peter, stubborn as seven hells.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, I don’t fucking know you! I don’t know any of you!” Jackson said, “You want to know why? Because I was lied to for seventeen years!”

“And I watched my family burn because of you!” Derek snapped back, “I lost everyone I loved because my uncles had you, your sister, and your brother. You’re not the only one with baggage, we all have it.”

That shut both of them up and an uncomfortable silence fell over the group. 

“I think,” Noah broke the silence, “That maybe we should show them why we kept the secret. That they should know what happened to Peter six years ago.”

“We’re going to visit dad?” Stiles asked, perking up a bit at that idea. 

“We kinda forgot yesterday-” Malia added.

Chris sighed softly and looked over the group, Jackson and Derek wouldn’t look at one another, Scott had his arms folded over his chest and tried his best to stare a hole into his living room floor, Allison just looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, and Ben just looked like he was ready for a two-year nap.

Honestly, he kinda felt the same way.

“Suppose it can’t hurt. It might be good for him to have us all near.” Chris shrugged, looking over at Scott who seemed to be unsure of what to do. “You’re welcome to join us, Scott.”

“Uh,” Scott shuffled a bit on his feet and then shrugged. He didn’t have anywhere else to be. “Yeah sure, can we pick up my mom afterward? She works until 5 today.”

“Of course, we have a lot to discuss with her anyway.” He replied.

“Might turn it into an impromptu dinner…” Noah murmured, he couldn’t help but agree.

When the clock struck around three in the afternoon, after everyone had gotten dressed in fresh clothes and Ben had taken a short nap, they arrived at the long term care ward. The hall itself was quiet today with little activity going on. They wrote themselves in at the front desk and walked over to Peter’s room.

He did look up at the camera again, noting that the light was once again off. Coincidentally, Nurse Jennifer came out of Peter’s room just as they arrived.

“Oh my,” The nurse looked surprised to see them, “You guys just seem to be multiplying with each visit.”

“Sorry about that,” Noah replied smoothly, “The kids just really wanted to see him today.”

“Well, I suppose it’s alright as long as you’re all calm. He’s sitting up today, you see, for his muscles. It can take a lot of energy.” Her eyes flicked to the left as she spoke and she seemed a little twitchy. Judging by the way Derek, Jackson, and Stiles cocked their heads at it, he wasn’t the only one who noticed that.

“Of course, we’ll be calm and quiet.” Noah sent a charming smile her way, that would charm the shit out of most people. Particularly because he usually performed a little bit of his magic behind it.

It didn’t seem to do much for Jennifer, though. Which was interestingly suspicious. 

“See to it that they do. If you’d excuse me…” She took her leave then, probably off to her next patient.

Considering the look Noah sent him, he agreed that there was more to nurse Jennifer than met the eye.

He opened the door and ushered the teenagers and Ben in first. Scott immediately sought out a chair and kept his distance a bit, though he seemed to be very curious about the comatose man sitting in the chair near the window.

Jackson led the charge, so to speak. Though the teen did look back at him and Noah with a slightly panicked look. He gave his son an encouraging smile in return, which seemed to help him a little.

-

“Dad?” Jackson slowly walked closer to the comatose man sitting in his chair. He didn’t move, didn’t even twitch as Jackson walked up in front of him. He reached out slowly, laying down his hand on his father’s scarred hand. His voice breaking as he spoke. “Hey dad, it’s me.”

There was no reaction, no twitch or even a blink. But something in him told him to keep talking, to keep his hand right where it was, and just hold on. “It’s Jackson,” He smiled sadly, “Allison’s here too.”

His sister laid her hand on their father’s unburned hand and gently squeezed, there were tears in her eyes too. “Hi, dad.”

Hearing about his father’s fate had been one thing, seeing it in action, seeing the consequences of everything. That was another thing entirely. He could barely force himself to look at his father’s face, to look into the blue eyes, and see absolutely nothing in them. He forced himself anyway, as much as he wanted to look away and run, he didn’t. Dad deserved more than that. “I know it’s been awhile and we’re a bit bigger than last time, but we’re here dad. We’re here now.”

For the briefest of moments, he could’ve sworn he felt a surge of warmth going through his hand and arm. But that was impossible, he was imagining things because he wanted that to happen. He wanted a reaction and his brain was supplying it for him.

“We just want you to come back to us, dad.” Allison’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“Be a family again.” He muttered in agreement.

Allison laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Be a family, all nine of us.” Her eyes flickered to papa, Noah, and Derek briefly before settling back on their father’s face. There was no reaction from him. Of course, there wasn’t…

Ben gently squeezed himself between them and leaned on their father’s lap as he pulled his latest drawing out of his pocket and unfolded it. “I made you another drawing, daddy. See?” 

His little brother started pointing out all the little figures on his drawing. “That’s Jackson and that’s Allison, this is Derek and Scott-”

“You made him another one?” Allison asked, cocking her head at Ben’s words.

“Yeah, I left one yesterday in the drawer by the bed,” Ben answered.

The world seemed to freeze at Ben’s words. Or maybe that was just his thoughts. He slowly straightened up and walked over to said drawer, opening it up with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

It was empty.

He discreetly pulled the drawing he’d found out of his pocket and unfolded it just out of sight before holding it up to Ben and the others. “You mean this one?”

“Yeah! It’s the drawing I made with Derek, see?” Ben pointed to the stick figure wearing a dark jacket of some kind.

“I see…” He couldn’t help but stare, the wheels in his head turning a mile a minute. He’d found that drawing in the back of their garden. Which meant, someone who had access to his father’s hospital room, had taken that drawing from this room, pocketed it, and had used it somehow to find them. Where there magical creatures that could find out where you lived through possessions you’d left behind? He needed to ask his dad that when he had a chance. At least he knew the one person who couldn’t have left the drawing, his father was still comatose.

The question was, who had…

Ben stared at him curiously and he quickly shot his brother a smile. “It’s- it’s great. Looks good. I’m sure he’s really happy.”

The words seemed to placate Ben, though he noticed his father and the sheriff were staring at him, a certain glint of suspicion in their eyes. He needed to talk to them.

Malia had walked up to their father in the meantime and sat down next to him, pulling up a chair with her. “I think Ben’s drawings are awesome, don’t you dad?”

She seemed to be far more comfortable talking to their father than Allison or himself, then again, they’d had more chances to be here. So that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Stiles too, pulled up a chair and started chatting, occasionally bickering with his sister over school or something of the other. And to his surprise, Allison and Ben joined in at some point.

How could they just- how could they accept it? How could they pretend like this was even remotely okay? He just didn’t get it.

“I did not rig your locker, Stiles. You just forgot how much junk you have in there!” Malia said.

“She did too! Dad, she definitely did. I swear!” Stiles dramatically waved his arms around and gently leaned on his dad’s shoulder.

“I did no such thing!” Malia bit back, “I would never!”

“Really?” Allison raised an eyebrow at Malia’s words, clearly not believing a single second of them. 

Malia just gasped and looked rather offended at her sister’s ‘betrayal’. “Et tu brute?”

Allison smirked. “Then fall Cesar.”

Stiles laughed and high-fived Allison. Earning themselves a laugh from Scott in the back. “Hell yeah, sis. Up top!”

“You’re tearing me apart, Mieczysław!” Malia said, dramatizing every word of it. 

Okay, as weird as his siblings were, that made him crack up. He could even hear pops and Noah crack up a little. Funnily enough, Derek was looking at them as if they’d all gone mad. Which only tripped pops up further when he saw the stoic face of their cousin.

He smiled along, actually kinda grateful for the distraction and light-heartedness his siblings brought into the moment. His gaze swept over them and rested on dad’s face for a moment. Wait a second, was that-

“Is he smiling?” Surely he was seeing things, he was imagining this. He noticed pops and Noah walking over.

“Holy shit-” Allison whispered, looking at their comatose father in awe, “He is.”

“Dad?” Stiles gently squeezed dad’s shoulder, although that didn’t get a reaction, Stiles still looked hopeful. “Can you hear me?”

Ben reached out and took dad’s hand with his own, the smile he gave in return seemed to lit up the entire room. “He can hear you, he’s happy!”

Malia stared at Ben’s hand for a moment and then, ever so slowly, grasped their father’s wrist and gasped as a warm feeling traveled up her arm and hand. “Pack bond.” She whispered.

“I felt it yesterday, it’s a sign that mentally, he’s still with us,” Derek said, “That he’s recovering.”

He wondered…

“What does pack bond feel like?” He asked Malia.

The others looked at him in curiosity. “If he’s happy or grateful, like a warm feeling traveling up your hand and arm, why?” Malia asked.

“Because… when I touched him, I thought-”

“-You felt it, didn’t you?” Derek interrupted.

He shrugged and looked down at his hands for a few seconds before he met Derek’s gaze. “Yeah, I did.”

“How’s that possible? Pack bond can only be felt by werewolves.” Pops said, staring at him intently. “I’m fairly certain Jackson is human.”

“He is,” Derek said, “But he’s also a Hale.”

Malia let out a soft “oh,” and even Stiles seemed to realize what was going on. “Aunt Merlia’s legend wasn’t so legendary.” 

“It’s not. It’s just not seen much,” Derek explained, at pops’ pointed look he elaborated further, “Within the Hale family there’s a legend of humans who were able to walk amongst the pack and sense their needs. Often these human family members would also gain some wolf-like ability, like great strength, the ability to make connections or see patterns other humans, or even wolves, can’t see. It’s extraordinarily rare in our family, happens in one a hundred human-born members of the pack.”

They all had to think about that one for a minute until Stiles finally broke the silence. “So what you’re saying is that if druids or werewolves are like Jedi and their magic or transformation is the force, then Jackson is like someone who’s force sensitive in one specific aspect of it but he’ll never be a Jedi himself unless someone teaches or bites him?”

Derek looked at Stiles as if he’d grown another head. “That is the weirdest possible way to put that, but yes.”

“That’s awesome.” Scott chuckled. 

“That’s insane,” Jackson said, though honestly was it even surprising anymore with everything they’d been through? “And what about dad, can he hear us?”

“I think he can,” Derek said.

“Well, can’t Noah check? You know, do his mind melt thing?” He wondered if Noah had ever tried it before. Or if it had been something the druid was afraid to try.

All eyes turned to Noah, who honestly looked like he might be sick at the thought.

\- 

“Dad?” Stiles asked, causing Noah to look up at him, “Can you?”

“I don’t know,” Noah looked at Chris, a certain type of fear in his eyes, “Haven’t tried.”

“You don’t have to.” Chris laid a gentle hand on Noah’s shoulder.

Noah looked at them, letting his eyes sweep over all the kids before settling on Peter. “No, it’s time… I can’t let this fear rule my life.”

Chris nodded in understanding and then gestured for them to give them space. Jackson took a seat on the bed in between Allison and Malia and hoisted Ben onto his lap. Stiles sat down behind them.

Noah walked forward towards Peter and slowly knelt in front of the smiling Alpha. He couldn’t believe he was actually about to do this. He’d tried, once, right after Peter had ended up in the hospital. Back when his mind had been turmoiled and pained. He hadn’t gotten a response then.

He felt Chris’s hand on his shoulder and focused on him first, envisioning the tunnel he could go through mentally to access the hunter’s mind and emotions. Turmoil washed over him, like a physical pain surrounding his heart and he had to take a calming breath and send a pulse of light through the mental connection, so Chris could follow.

He felt the hunter’s mind calm, his breathing steadying as warm feelings came through, love, devotion, faith. He smiled at the feeling and slowly reached out further, trying to find the hunter’s inner voice in the sea of emotions.

_Chris, can you hear me?_

_Yes._ Another surge of warmth surrounded his heart. _Yes, I can hear you._

He took a steadying breath and send feelings of warmth back to the hunter. _Alright, let’s do this._

 _I’m with you._ He felt another surge of strength and warmth settle around his heart.

His breathing evened out and he slowly took both of Peter’s hands in his own, envisioning that the tunnel to Chris’s mind extended in the other direction and out into the unknown. He stretched it out further and for a moment or two, he didn’t get any kind of response. _Maybe we were wrong…_

He was about to give up when he felt the presence of another mind press back and a little light came down the connection that he could follow. _And here I thought there was no such thing…_

He knew that voice. Oh god, he knew that voice. His breathing hitched and he struggled to keep the tunnel steady on both sides, almost losing it but he managed to hold on by a bare thread. He felt his body shake, felt Chris shake behind him even though the hunter tried his best to provide an anchor. They were both struggling.

Peter had been alive and in here all this time. And he had failed-

 _Shhh… my sweet little druid._ He felt an almost overwhelming feeling of love, warmth, and gratitude feedback into the connection. _You’ve been here all these years. All this time._

He couldn’t help but sob as the crushing feeling of guilt and sorrow washed over him. He felt Chris’s arms around him to hold him up and felt soothing waves wash over both of their minds.

_Shhhhh._

He couldn’t keep it up, his emotions getting the best of him as he opened his eyes and cried out as if he was in physical pain. The connection between their minds fell, the tunnels collapsing in on themselves. He felt tears stream down his face, his body convulsing in shocks as the reality of it all sank in. Peter had been in there all this time. Healing, waiting. All alone.

Another pained sound escaped him, he felt Chris draw him in close and hold him. Laying his head down on top of Noah’s head so he could soothe him as best he could. Though he could feel Chris’s tears drip down and his sobs wracking through his body.

“Dad?” He heard Stiles approach and felt the teenager’s hand on his shoulder. “Hey, dad?”

He couldn’t reply, merely nodded his head, and looked up at Peter. 

Stiles seemed to understand. “He’s still in there, you talked to him?”

He gave another nod.

“Oh my god,” Allison whispered.

“It means he’s trapped isn’t it?” It was Jackson who made that connection.

“Yes,” Chris answered for him, his breath broken and shaken, “Until his body heals, his mind is trapped.”  
  
All these years Peter had been trapped, alone, in pain, and with no way to actively communicate. It was a wonder the werewolf had sounded somewhat sane at all. He would’ve gone mad with isolation a very long time ago. 

A few more tears rolled down his cheeks. Could he have healed Peter? Maybe if he had been stronger and more sound of mind he would have been able to. But he had been so consumed… So grief-stricken with losing Claudia, that his powers had been all over the place. 

Even establishing a connection like this was incredibly difficult. Where once, he’d been able to do it in his sleep. His powers had weakened over the last six years, as he stopped using them and withdrew from the world around him. Sure, he still kept his energy running around Stiles and Malia, but he was incredibly out of shape compared to what he had been before Claudia’s death.

He heard someone walk up to him. It was Ben. Ben, who gently pressed a soft stuffed animal in his hands and pushed it up so he cuddled it. “When I feel this sad, he helps me.” Was the only explanation the child gave him.

“So what do we do? Can Noah heal him?” Allison asked.

Derek answered before he could. “I don’t think Uncle Noah is strong enough for that.”

A knock on the door pulled them out of their thoughts and he quickly wiped away his tears.

-

At precisely 5:30 pm, Melissa walked into an absolute mess of a room. Chris, Stiles, and Noah were sitting on the floor crying in front of Peter, three crying teenagers were surrounding the bed. A child was standing next to Noah who was just patting his shoulder. Derek stood in the corner of the room looking down at his hands. And Scott was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room looking traumatized beyond all hell.

“Alright-” She sighed, walking over to the bed first to gently shoo the teenagers off of it. “I’m going to need this for our patient, so shoo.”

Thankfully, they didn’t try to fight her and obeyed. Poor kids were quite shaken up by the looks of it. “Don’t you worry, everything will be okay.” She tried to soothe them a little, giving them a friendly smile to go with her words. 

The girls at least seemed to appreciate it. The boy stayed quiet and just seemed to study her. She looked over at Derek and waved the young man over while she checked on Peter and his vitals. Which seemed to have improved since the last time she’d seen him. _His healing must be kicking in…_

“Could you place him on the bed for me?” She asked Derek as she focused her attention on the two crying adults.

Derek nodded and carefully placed his arms around his uncle. Warning him with a short; “I’m gonna carry you, Uncle Peter.”

He carried him over to his bed and gently tucked him in, making sure his back and neck were well supported.

Melissa gently touched Chris’s shoulder, making sure she approached him from an angle where he’d see her coming first. She smiled as Chris looked at her and gently ruffled his hair like she used to when they were teenagers. “Hey there, conejito. ¿Qué pasa?” *

Chris sniveled quietly and wiped the last of his tears away. “I’m fine, Delgado.”

She didn’t believe him and that must have shown. “Uhuh, sure and I’m the queen of Spain.”  
She got both Chris and Noah back on their feet, although the latter of the two had to be held up by the former and checked them over. Physically they seemed to be alright, although she could tell Noah was exhausted. She looked back to where Peter now laid on the bed and then looked to the two of them once again. “I’m not sure what happened here, but you’re explaining everything when we get to your house.”

She got them mobilized and herded them all out of the room and towards their cars. Once they all got back to the Argent house she herded them all into the living room, though she did grab a hold of Scott before he could get past her.

“I am so glad you’re okay, sweetheart.” She whispered, wrapping him in a warm hug. She felt his arms wrap around her in return, his tears slowly falling onto her shoulder.

“Mom, I’m so sorry.” 

“Shhh, it’s okay,” She soothed, “You’re here, you’re safe. That’s what matters.”

“I should have come to you, I should have said something…” Scott cried into her shoulder.

And her heart ached for him, because how could he have known that she knew about this world? She never told him, she wanted to protect him from it, from the life she’d been forced into. She pressed a kiss to his temple. “Shhh, Chiquito**, I’m here now. We’re gonna make this right.”

She felt his nod against her shoulder and gently cupped his face between her hands. “But no more secrets and no more digging up dead bodies, you hear me?”

Scott smiled and chuckled, nodding at her words. “I promise.”

“Good, because I will ground you until you are thirty if you ever do anything like that again. Now come, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Melissa guided them both to the others and surveyed the group. “Jesus you guys look like shit…”

“I think we all feel like it,” Stiles said, curling up against his sister, who silently wrapped her arms around her twin.

“We’ve had a bit of a rough day, mom.” Scott shrugged.

“And I can’t wait to hear all about it,” She looked around the room, “After dinner. You guys look like you could all use some food.”

She went through Chris’s fridge and pantry, managing to scrape together enough ingredients to make Chili for the whole bunch. Once they’d all eaten and rested, she sat down in the armchair with a bottle of Chris’s wine and gestured for them to start explaining. “Lay it on me, what happened?”

She listened carefully as they explained everything they knew, they already told her that Scott had been bitten by a rogue beast Alpha, they hadn’t told her the details. She listened to them as they explained what they’d seen, the murder of Laura Hale, and that other hunters might be behind it. That the Alpha was most likely operating from the hospital. They told her about Peter and what they’d learned today, that he was still in there but couldn’t communicate. And she just put the glass of wine to her lips and downed it in one go. 

“So you’re saying, my son was bitten by a beast class Alpha, who is operating from the hospital and most likely a patient or someone who works there. Laura Hale was killed by hunters who’ve come back to finish the job from the fire, or so you suspect. Peter Hale, who survived the fire, was actually completely conscious all this time but he just can’t move his body and he’s effectively trapped inside it. And you’ve uncovered all of this in the span of… four days max?” Melissa looked at them and couldn’t help but wonder how much Gerard Argent had to hate his son to cause this much trouble. She couldn’t even imagine wanting to think about hurting Scott, let alone cause him that much pain.

“I’m gonna need another bottle of wine,” She sighed, as Noah confirmed her words, “Anything else?”

It was Jackson who spoke up. “I found Ben’s drawing this morning near the back fence, the one he said was in the drawer in dad’s room.”

“Excuse me?” Chris looked at his son in surprise.

“Don’t start,” Jackson bit back, “I kept a secret for less than a day because I didn’t have any proof, you kept one for seventeen years out of fear.”

Chris looked like he wanted to start something anyway, so she quickly interrupted the two.

“So whoever this Alpha is, they’re keeping an eye on Peter and his family. Why?” It didn’t add up, why go through all the trouble of operating in the shadows only to take a risk like that?

The others didn’t seem to have an answer either, judging by the frowns on Noah and Chris’s faces.

Noah’s phone rang then, disrupting their thoughts.

“Stilinski,” Noah answered, “Where? Jesus… do you need me to come in? Alright, I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

Noah hung up the phone and sighed, “There’s been an ‘animal attack’ up at Beacon Lake. Two men were attacked and ran into their barrel fires, it’s a mess.”

“So they need you to come in. You need any help?” She asked, worried that he might not be strong enough to make that drive in his current state.

“I could use a driver,” Noah admitted softly.

“I’ll take him,” Malia said, “The deputies know me and if we run into trouble I can protect him.”

Noah slowly got up, supported by Malia as the two headed out.

Chris turned to her after they left. She knew that look all too well. “You think it’s the Alpha or the hunters, don’t you?”

“Have you ever heard of an animal attack in Beacon Hills that wasn’t supernatural related?” He asked.

She hadn’t and that was a fair point. “In the last twenty years? No.”

-

Jackson couldn’t take any of this, the hypocrisy of his father, and the way he had almost snapped. All of it was just so typical, wasn’t it? He wasn’t allowed to hide anything and yet his father had done the same thing and far worse. So he’d gone out, just told his father and Melissa he was gonna go for a short walk and that he’d be back in half an hour. Partially because he didn’t want to be in the house and partially because he didn’t want to listen to his father talking to Melissa and Derek about the good old days or whatever.

And that’s how he ended up walking with Scott of all people. Stiles and Allison had stayed behind and he wasn’t allowed to go out on his own. So Scott had volunteered to come with him. At least McCall knew how to be quiet, there was that small miracle.

“So why’d you come?” He asked Scott after they walked three blocks in silence. He could make out the lights of the video store and the tattoo parlor in the distance.

“Wanted to clear my head, you know, after everything.” Scott shrugged, “And as much as I like Stiles, he talks a mile a minute and Allison just- she makes me think about things.”

“Gross McCall…” He didn’t want to know what Scott thought about when he looked at his sister…

“Not like that! It’s just- I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking when she’s around. And with you, it’s… never mind.” Scott sighed, burying his hands in his pocket as he walked past him.

What the hell did that mean? He didn’t get it but he also didn’t want to know the details of Scott’s mind. But maybe he was on to something when he said that walking with him cleared his mind. He did notice he could just let his mind wander and fall in step with McCall. They didn’t have to think, they didn’t have to talk. They just did. It was- it wasn’t terrible. And maybe that was what he meant.

He caught up to Scott and adjusted his pace, noticing Scott fell in step beside him once more as they walked. It was just something he did. If Jackson slowed down, so did McCall, if he sped up, Scott adjusted. And it wasn’t just not terrible, it was kinda nice. “It’s like your brain slows down and just does.” He finally answered.

“Yeah,” Scott said, “Exactly.”

They walked a little further, just hitting the edge of the video store parking lot, both pondering on what was going on when Scott suddenly stopped and looked up frantically. “Are you panting by any chance?”

He took back everything he just thought about this idiot. “What the hell, McCall?”

But Scott wasn’t paying attention to him, his eyes were wide, skin pale and he was looking at something behind him. 

“Jackson…”

He was about to look back when he caught the reflection of whatever was behind him in Scott’s eyes and the video store windows. 

A great beast-like wolf with red shining eyes, giant teeth, and blood dripping fangs stalked behind him, he heard the beast growl, saw it sniff the air.

He bolted forward, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He grabbed Scott mid-run and dragged him along. “Move it, McCall!”

Scott caught on quick, running with him across the parking lot towards the video store.

The beast let out a short howl and gave chase.

The only sounds he heard after was the pounding of his own heart and the gasps of his own breath, the thunder of his feet across the pavement, and the scream he let out as he yanked the door open, shoved Scott in first and got in after him. They ran towards the counter where he frantically looked around for anyone to help them but found it empty. He reached around for the phone, feeling his stomach drop as he realized the line was dead.

“Shit.”

They heard something crash through the store window and ducked down behind the counter and out of sight as they tried to control their breathing to keep as quiet as they could. He felt Scott tap his leg and looked at the other teenager in confusion until he followed his line of sight.

There was a pair of shoes in one of the aisles.

Oh god. 

A low growl vibrated through the store and he froze for a moment as he tried to focus on the sound of the beasts claws or its footsteps on the carpet. Just to get a sense of where it was and how to get away from it.

He gently tapped Scott on the shoulder and gestured for him to stay put as he slowly stalked over to the pair of feet and took a look around the corner. He quickly pressed his hand against his mouth as he took in the scene.

The video store employee stared back at him with dead, terror-filled eyes. Deep scratches across his neck revealed the muscle and bone structures underneath, he had bite wounds all across his chest and there was just so much fucking blood.

It wasn’t very difficult to determine what had killed him. The blood dripping fangs he’d seen earlier, the way this guy had been mauled…

And that beast was somewhere in the store with them. 

He slowly crawled back to the edge of the aisle and looked at Scott who was still huddled behind the counter. His yellow eyes almost shining in the darkness. He carefully looked around, listening for any kind of sound. But there was nothing, no growling, no scratching, just silence and flickering light from where the guy had been trying to change a TL light.

He stalked back towards the counter, keeping himself low and his steps steady as he tried his best not to freak out over what he’d just seen. A low growl to his left made him freeze in his tracks. He was right out in the open.

The lights flickered one last time before the power in the store went out and everything turned dark. All he could see were Scott’s yellow eyes in the distance, and a pair of red eyes to his left.

He didn’t move a single muscle, barely even breathed as the beast stalked closer. All he could make out were the glowing eyes and the slowly growing outline stalking closer.

Oh god, he was gonna die. He was gonna die and his father would be forced to identify his mauled body. He should have listened, he shouldn’t have been so angry. What was the fucking point in all of that if this was how it was going to end? 

He slowly closed his eyes and stood as still as he could, knowing that if he ran now the beast would give chase and there was no way he was going to outrun it in close quarters. Maybe if he didn’t move it wouldn’t attack, he might get out of this alive if he just kept himself calm.

The beast walked right up to him, sniffing the air around him and he felt the hairs on his head, and the back of his neck, move with the huffs of air it let out. A grunt escaped the monster and he felt a wet nose press itself against his cheek and move down his neck. He let out an undignified yelp in response, feeling the beast spread its saliva, and the man’s blood drip onto his skin.

But it wasn’t attacking him. It was just checking him out it seemed. Why wasn’t it attacking him? Why was it just scenting him?

A low grumble, it almost sounded like a laugh vibrated through the beast’s chest and he closed his eyes as he waited for an inevitable blow. It didn’t come.

Instead, he heard Scott snarl and charge the Alpha. The beast let out an annoyed grunt and worked Scott to the floor with one swipe, accidentally bumping into Jackson and knocking him over in the process. 

He crawled towards Scott, wrapping his arms around the wolf’s head and neck to protect him from being struck by the Alpha. Because for some reason, the beast wouldn’t attack him and that meant he could keep Scott safe from being hurt.

The Alpha snarled at them as they lay between its front paws, curled up into little balls to protect themselves, and hope they wouldn’t be perceived as further threats. It didn’t try to attack them again, merely sniffed the air around them for some strange reason.

He heard footsteps at the front of the store, the whoosh of an arrow through the air and the ear-shattering howl the Alpha let out right after.

“It’s here!” Someone yelled and more footsteps approached from the shadows. 

He heard the Alpha grunt, felt powerful muscles tense and just like that- 

It ran out the back.

His heart hammered wildly in his chest and he felt like he couldn’t breathe when two arms gently lifted him. His eyes found warm brown ones and he almost sobbed in relief when he recognized them.

“Julio?”

Julio wrapped an arm around him, lowering the crossbow to the floor and gently picked up Scott from the floor a well. He felt him freeze as he took in Scott’s features.

“Scott? Jesus…” Julio looked back at his approaching men, made a quick decision to take off his jacket and throw it over Scott’s head, and supported both of them while he led them outside. Making sure to keep Scott’s eyes and face hidden for now.

“Delgado, were they bitten?” He heard someone yell after them. And he knew that voice, he knew that voice well.

“No,” Julio answered, “They had no marks on them.”

He knew Julio had seen Scott’s eyes and teeth and yet here he was risking his neck and lying to his fellow hunters. But why? Why was he protecting Scott?

Julio sat them down on the back of his pick up and quickly wiped down his cheek and neck, cleaning him off the saliva and blood. He also checked on Scott, who’s eyes and features had thankfully returned to normal. 

Another form walked up behind Julio. He relaxed when he saw who it was, he knew he’d recognized that voice.

It was Aunt Kate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations of Melissa's words:
> 
> * Little rabbit, what's up  
> **Little boy
> 
> So that's what I have for this chapter, it's been a wild ride so far. I cried, I laughed, I very much enjoyed writing this during my week off.
> 
> Next chapter, things are getting wilder. I will say, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, there is a happy ending after all of this.  
> This is also where I'm going to start walking away more from canon.
> 
> I would love to hear people's thoughts on this chapter. I would love to hear what you think or what you hope will happen in the future. I would love to hear your questions. I would love to hear if there are particular lines you liked, which characters you ship. Who you want to see more off. 
> 
> I'm very excited about this story. This is the longest story I've ever written, the most complex and I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. So I hope you'll all stick with me on this adventure.
> 
> If you want to participate in helping to shape this story, I've made a completely anonymous Google form you can fill out to help me out and let your voice be heard.  
> https://forms.gle/LeZqmxPh5Hu3zFoN9


	11. Turn the page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very proud of this chapter, It feels good to post this here. I'm so proud of what I've accomplished with this story so far and I hope it's as enjoyable for you as it was for me. Let me know your thoughts and if you feel like it, fill out the form.  
> I want to get some more opinions from you guys and I would love some interactions with my readers. You guys inspire me to write every single day. Even if it's just a little.
> 
> https://forms.gle/PBmkHvhAeXp6bjTV7

“Which is exactly my point. There’s no reason for this one to be different.” He answered.

Allison and Stiles took their leave at that point, going up to Allison’s room to hang out for a bit while Jackson and, surprisingly, Scott went out for a walk. He let them leave, making sure they had their phones on them and set a timer for 40 minutes after they walked out the door just to be sure.

Ben cuddled up to him, curling up in his lap with a yawn as he held Rabbit in his arms.

Derek, in the meantime, had fetched himself a batman mug and filled it with wine. Derek took a seat next to him.

He sighed after a moment of silence and ran his hand through his graying hair. “How am I going to set this right, Mel?”

She smiled at him in sympathy. “One step at a time, I’d imagine. For all your kids and the two men you love.”

He looked down at his hands, traced the scars on them with a sigh. Would they still love him after they learned the truth of all the shit he’d done? Did Noah know what he’d done to Peter six years ago? Did Peter know what he’d done in the eleven years before that? Could they ever forgive him for it?

“Oh, don’t give me that look again,” Melissa smiled at him and filled up her glass of wine once more.

“What look?” Honestly, did he have a look?

Derek and Melissa’s faces pretty much gave him his answer.

“Please…” Melissa muttered.

“Uncle Chris, you patented the kicked puppy look.”

“Hmm,” Melissa hummed as she took a sip. “Amen to that. He also looks at his hands.”

“With that pout,” Derek added.

“Really? We’re just pointing all of this out now?” He shouldn’t have been surprised that they would gang up on him. Of course, they would, both of them loved to tease him.

“Exactly!” Melissa leaned back in the armchair. “And I’ve had to hear this argument for at least one year, so don’t start this again. Please.”

“Start what again?” Though he had a good idea what she meant, it wasn’t like he could just turn his thoughts off.

“Will they won’t they? The answer is unless you set the fire yourself, that is, yes. Yes, they’ll still love you. Peter and Noah will forgive you. You guys just have to talk everything out.” Melissa gave him a rather pointed look.

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. No, he hadn’t set the fire himself, of course, he hadn’t. But he was indirectly responsible for it, wasn’t he?

Ben whined softly against him and buried his nose further into his shirt, tucking a thumb into his mouth as he dozed. He focused on the pup, gently stroking his hair back he pressed a kiss to Ben’s forehead to comfort him. Looking down at him, the realization set in that maybe there was a truth to Melissa’s words. Maybe… maybe Peter might eventually forgive him for what he’d done. He’d welcomed him once before, knowing Peter he’d do it again. But could he-

Derek gently nudged him, and when he looked up at the young wolf, he merely tapped the side of his head and raised his eyebrows a little. “You’re thinking too much.”

“Maybe I am,” He nodded, “It’s just-”

“-It’s not easy to turn that off. I know,” Melissa smiled, “But it’s necessary to move on.”

“Live in the moment and all that,” Derek shrugged, “And find yourself in the process. I can’t imagine you had many opportunities before to do that.”

Had he? He was a hunter of the supernatural. It’s what he’d been since he was twelve years old and old enough to wield a crossbow. Much to his mother’s chagrin, for she had a general rule that children didn’t join until they were sixteen. He was a father, a parent since he was seventeen and way too young to be one. He thought on Derek and Melissa’s words a little more and realized that that’s all he was.

“No, I haven’t…” He said softly, adjusting Ben in his arms so the boy could sleep more comfortably. “I never really thought about it. I mean, I’m a hunter, I’m a father. I never really had a chance to figure out who I am apart from that.”

“I rest my case.” Derek leaned back and smiled at him.

“I know what you’re in for Chris, and it’s not easy. But to move on, you need to figure out who you are and where Peter and Noah fit in.” Melissa sighed, taking a sip of her wine before she leaned forward.

“Where do I start?” He wouldn’t know, truth to be told. Everything was just; it was a little much at the moment.

“If you could define yourself, without your father’s words or your doubts, who are you?” Melissa gently took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “Think about it for a minute.”

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. He was a father, a parent, a protector. He was a guardian, someone who loved to teach the people around them and watch them grow. He loved seeing his kids discover their strengths and weaknesses. Loved seeing them grow. He loved the soft breeze on a warm night as he walked through the dark. He loved hearing the stories of others and giving them a voice. He loved lifting people up and being at peace.

“I am a father, a husband, a protector. I love to see others develop and discover themselves, and I love peaceful moments that life can randomly throw at you. I love seeing my kids grow, the smile on Noah’s face. The way Peter looks at me when I talk. I love my family, and I love being there through all their little moments.”

His smile turned sad, and a few tears escaped. “And dad took that from me, didn’t he?”

Derek slowly nodded and carefully, as not to wake Ben, wrapped an arm around him. “He did. Would you have run otherwise?”

He looked at Derek in disbelief and shock. “No! No, of course not. If- if we hadn’t been threatened, if none of it happened, I would’ve stayed. I would have stayed and raised a family with-”

He then realized he called himself a husband earlier. Was that how he saw himself, a husband to Peter and Noah? Another sad smile played on his lips as he slowly realized that yes. That’s precisely what he thought of himself; it was what they’d once thought of one another. And he’d done such horrible-

“Hey!” Mel gently tapped his hand to get him out of his thoughts. “It’s not your fault, Chris. Don’t go down that path. How about you tell us more about your ‘husbands’?” She grinned, self-satisfied, and smug as she leaned back and took a sip.

This was her way of getting back at him for that year during high school. He knew it was. Then again, did he mind her asking about it? He couldn’t stop the blush that spread across his cheeks and shrugged. “I don’t- I don’t know why I called them that…”

“Bitch, please…” Melissa muttered, rolling her eyes though her smile betrayed her amusement and fondness.

“Language!” He hissed back, mockingly covering Ben’s ear, even though the child was lightly snoring in his arms.

“He’s out like a light; he’s not gonna hear it.” Derek chuckled.

“No cursing in front of my son, you little shits,” It was out before he realized it, and he glared at both of them. “Well, fuck.”

Derek laughed for good measure, followed by Melissa’s giggling.

“But, you were telling us about your husbands.” Derek raised an eyebrow at him and took a sip out of the wine-filled batman mug.

“I’m never talking to either of you again,” He grumbled though he couldn’t help but smile at their antics, a small snore from Ben made him giggle though he was quick to suppress it. “I- I honestly don’t know.”

He did. He knew why he’d done it. He even still had that little piece of jewelry hidden away in a cabinet in his study, along with the family photograph.

Melissa studied him for a moment; eyes narrowing as she sipped her wine. “Yes, you do, but I won’t force you to talk…”

“Please, Uncle Chris?” Derek turned those bright blue puppy eyes towards him, and he couldn’t say no to those. Melissa, he could resist, he’d practiced that. Derek had always been his weak spot.

He sighed.

_He followed them through the woods, laughing as Noah jumped on Peter’s back, and the wolf wordlessly wrapped his arms around the druid’s legs to support him. It was a warm day near the end of June, where the weather was just starting to get better in preparation for summer._

_“Don’t tell me you’re already tired, little druid.” Peter drawled, though he was amused at Noah’s antics._

_“Nah, I just want you to carry me,” Noah replied, letting his chin rest on top of Peter’s head as his arms wrapped around the Alpha’s shoulders._

_“You hearing this, Chris? The little shit wants to be carried.” Peter laughed as he descended the path to the familiar tree stump they often hung out at._

_“I don’t blame him…” He muttered in return, honestly feeling Peter’s muscled arms around his legs sounded pretty good right about now. They’d been walking for half an hour from the Hale house to their hangout though he smiled when Peter looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “It’s cause he’s a little menace, didn’t you hear?”_

_“You are far worse than I am!” Noah laughed, burying his nose into Peter’s neck to hide his blush._

_“I am not, how in the world am I worse?” He feigned offense and came up beside Peter when the path broadened before them._

_“Because you started the prank that made Mrs. Calchuck believe the gnomes in her garden come alive every night. That was all you!”_

_“That was not just me; I wasn’t the one who enchanted them, that was Claudia!” In his defense, it was never meant to become a school-wide joke. It was just one of those things that caught on._

_“Please, she would never have done it if it weren’t for you,” Peter laughed, “Even Melissa thinks that prank is as excessive as it is funny.”_

_“See? You are far worse than I am.”_

_He was about to argue to the contrary, but Peter beat him to it._

_“Please, you’re both menaces in your own way,” He paused, “You have every teacher in the school, including the principal, wrapped around your finger and ready to come to your aid at the drop of a finger, Mr. Innocent. And Chris created a prank that the whole school is in on. It’s a wonder the two of you haven’t come up with something to bring the entirety of Beacon Hills down with you.” Peter’s smile could’ve lit up a room as he talked about them._

_“Says the person who deliberately pitches people against each other because he’s bored.” He drawled, knowing Noah would back him up on it._

_“You did pitch Jones against Abramo just because you could,” Noah said._

_“Jones had it coming, he was a dick,” Peter defended himself, “Isn’t my fault Jones doesn’t know who he can take on.”_

_“I guess the lesson here is we’re all menaces.” He suggested. And honestly, yeah, that kinda was the lesson. They were dicks at times, but at least they were each other's dicks, so to speak._

_“Now that I can get behind.” Peter grinned._

_“I thought you could only get behind either of us…” Noah snickered._

_He couldn’t help but chuckle at those words and buried his hands back in his pockets as they approached their usual hangout. The tree stump itself was an old relic of times past. An old tree that was cut down somewhere in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. It always hummed with this ancient power that still thrived in the air, and that had been buzzing stronger ever since early May._

_Somehow it invited them in; the air seemed warmer around it, and the forest itself calmer. If he didn’t know any better, it almost seemed like the tree itself wanted them there. But that was insane, wasn’t it?_

_“Funny. You kiss your partner with that mouth?” Peter grinned up at the druid; he’d deliberately changed the sentence, knowing Noah’s mother was a sensitive subject for the druid._

_“I usually do, but he’s a bit of a dick.” Noah quickly replied once Peter had set him back on the ground. “What was so important for us to come down here, anyway?”_

_He did wonder that too. It wasn’t often that Peter dragged them out to this place without mentioning the details unless he had something special planned. Like that day in May when he lost his virginity on said tree stump or a week ago when Peter had given both of them a good time. He was still sore from that, and he’d seen Noah wince once or twice in the last week as well._

_The condom breaking on Noah and Peter had been one hell of a spectacle between the three of them. After what happened with him, they’d been on edge and actively trying to avoid another accident. Anu, however, had other plans for them and had caused another pregnancy scare. They could only hope that they wouldn’t have to face reality once again. When Peter had told him he had three heartbeats and his scent had changed, he’d freaked out beyond belief. Merlia had bought him a pregnancy test, and Talia had offered to talk with his father when it came back positive. He’d declined. He didn’t want to tell his father that he was currently pregnant. And if Peter and the wolves were to believed, with twins. His father would carve his babies out of his stomach before he allowed him to carry to term. A protective hand rested on his abdomen, and he looked up to find Peter staring at him, smiling._

_Peter’s voice pulled him back to the present, and he tuned back in just in time to catch his answer. “I can’t just invite you here because I want to spend time with you?”_

_“And there’s a reason why you didn’t tell us anything up until now?” He asked, “Usually, you won’t shut up about all the things you want to do or talk about. You only go quiet when you have something planned.”_

_“See, that’s what I’m thinking,” Noah replied._

_Peter sighed, a soft smile playing on his lips as he looked at both of them. “You two are too smart for your own good.”_

_“Alright, sit down.” Peter’s hands went into the pockets of his jacket as Chris and Noah took a seat on the tree stump._

_“In my family, there’s an ancient tradition. A symbol that tells of all that we are, all that we can be. It reminds us that we can rise and fall to other ranks. It reminds us to be humble. To be connected. We also give it to those we love, that we want to share our lives with for the rest of eternity,” Peter slowly pulled up two little black boxes and handed one to each of them, “I’ve made these.”_

_He watched dumbfounded as Noah slowly looked down at his own box and very carefully opened it. Inside was a dark wooden spiral the size of a large coin, bound to a tan thin leather string that was large enough to tie around one’s neck comfortably. Noah turned it in his hands and studied it for a moment. “I thought your family’s symbol was a Triskelion?”_

_“It is,” Peter said, “Unpack yours, Chris.”_

_His hands trembled a little as he slowly unpacked his box and pulled out a similar dark spiral, but his was tied with a black thin leather string. He noticed another similarity. “The spirals taper off…”_

_He gently took hold of Noah’s spiral and turned it a few times in his hand before he lined it up with his own and clicked it together carefully by using a little mechanism that was carved into the wood._

_“Oh..” Noah cuddled closer and turned the joined spirals onto the side. “There’s more of the mechanism here.”_

_Peter reached for something around his neck and pulled another spiral from under his shirt. The dark wooden trinket was tied with a dark brown thin leather string. “You’ll need this.”_

_Noah took the spiral from Peter and clicked it together with the other two, forming a complete Triskelion symbol in the process. The dark wood seemed to buzz with energy, the air around them buzzing with it. Noah’s eyes turned purple for a moment as the druid looked up into the sky and smiled brightly. “I think Anu approves,” Noah whispered._

_“I’m not the only one who felt that right?” He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at the warm energy. It was unlike anything he ever felt. The closest he got was the way he felt when Noah or Peter smiled at him or like lying in the sun on a hot day while looking up at the sky, a warm breeze rolling over his body. But even that barely scratched the surface of the overwhelming pleasant feeling._

_“No…” Peter whispered, “No, I felt that too.”_

_They stood there in awe of what had happened, though he also felt thoroughly freaked out, he settled when Peter and Noah wrapped their arms around him. He laid his head on top of Noah’s as they held the little symbol together._

_“So, what do you say?” Peter asked them, biting his lip as he looked at them._

_“What do you mean?” He didn’t get it; it was a gift, wasn’t it? His and Noah’s to keep forever as a symbol of their love and connection._

_“Do you accept it?” Peter looked thoroughly nervous now, though he didn’t get why._

_“Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He looked at Peter as if he’d gone crazy. Why the hell wouldn’t he accept it? Because some ‘goddess’ Peter and Noah worshiped approved? Yeah, it was freaky, but it was magic, that was just a part of his world._

_Noah laughed at his straight-forward answer and the absolute dead-pan look Peter gave him. “Cause he’s practically proposing, Chris.”_

_Wait… was that what this was all about? He raised an eyebrow at Peter. “Really?”_

_Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you dick, I’m asking you both to share the rest of your lives with me…”_

_“Yes, I do,” Noah answered quickly, once again bursting into laughter when he noticed Chris’s blush._

_“ **Oh** , oh…” He felt his cheeks heat up even more, and he nodded slowly, “I mean yes, there’s no way you’re getting rid of me.”_

_“What the hell am I going to do with you two?” Peter sighed, though his smile betrayed how happy he was with those answers._

_“Love us for the rest of our lives?” he smiled cheekily, joined by Noah, who wrapped his arms around his waist._

_Peter grinned at that answer and slowly shook his head at the sky. “Gotta love my life.”_

“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.” Melissa grinned as he finished his story.

“Uncle Peter never told me that story… I’m glad you did,” Derek said, “Did you ever consider coming back early? To be with them?”

He looked down at the sleeping child in his arms, gently stroking back Ben’s hair when the child cuddled closer. The five-year-old was still sucking his thumb and was curled up on his lap, his face buried in his father’s chest.

He had considered it in the past, to come back to Peter and Noah. But every time he’d wanted to, every time he grabbed a duffel or the thought crossed his mind, he saw the pictures in his mind again. The words of his father echoing through his mind when Gerard had caught up with him. Who would ever love you? After everything you’ve caused them, why would they still care about you? I wouldn’t have had to do these things if you hadn’t made me, my boy. And he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk it, couldn’t risk their lives for the sake of happiness. He had two children to worry about and keep safe.

And then Claudia had died. And for a moment, he thought that everything could change. That maybe Peter was right and that they could fight his father together. A text message in the morning reminded him that they couldn’t.

Kate’s text that his father had found out that Julio was keeping the kids away from him had him running back to Allison and Jackson. And he left Peter alone in a motel room after one more night of passion. What was worse, he hadn’t even left Noah a note in his panic. And while Noah might not blame him for his absence, he did. He hated himself for it.

“I considered it,” He said softly, a sad smile on his lips, “The night of the funeral, Peter convinced me to stay and for a moment I thought I could.

He frowned, closing his eyes as the overwhelming guilt and sorrow hit him. There was so much he regretted, so much he should have fought for.

“What made you leave?” Derek asked softly.

He let a few lonely tears roll down his cheek. “Kate’s text. She texted me, saying that dad found out where Allison and Jackson were, and I just… I couldn’t risk losing them. And instead of asking Peter for his help, I bolted. I was so afraid that my father would hurt and manipulate them like he hurt and manipulated me, that I ran without thinking. Peter could have helped, I realize that now, but I couldn’t back then.”

At the mention of Kate, a dark look passed over Derek’s features, and for a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something about her, yet he didn’t. “So Gerard fucked you three over once again.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but Melissa beat him to it.

“He sure as hell did. Jesus that man is psychotic,” She shook her head, “If you ever need help bringing him down, I’ll dust off the crossbow and pull out the guns.”

Honestly, he was surprised to hear she still had them. “You still have them?”

She gave him a look that clearly read; _Really?_ “I may no longer hunt, Chris. But I’m still a hunter.”

“Fair point.” He had to concede that you didn’t get rid of years of training just like that. His whole garage was stocked to the teeth, and his office contained so many hidden weapons that he wasn’t sure anymore what exactly he had up there.

The timer on his phone went off, and he looked at it on cue. There were no text messages from Jackson to tell him he’d be later. Jackson had promised him he’d be back in thirty minutes; he was already ten minutes late. And although Jackson could be a difficult kid, he wasn’t an untruthful one in general. Jackson knew the importance of letting him know where he went or how late he was staying out. He’d never broken that before.

Maybe Scott had sent them a message.

He looked over at Melissa and met her eyes. He knew that look.

Their kids were missing.

-

Malia stood by the cruiser as she watched her dad work with the deputies and map out the crime scene. The air around her was thick with latent smoke and the smell of burning flesh. She crossed her arms in an attempt to make herself feel better despite the overwhelming smells.

“Are you alright?” A soft, warm voice spoke up from her left, and she quickly looked up to meet the gaze of a young deputy. “Would you like a jacket for the cold?”

The young deputy was about Derek’s age, but she couldn’t tell what they were. They had no identifying scent about them, so she couldn’t know if they were an Alpha or an Omega without asking them. And that was intriguing on the one hand, on the other, was it any of her business what they identified as? Probably not. The only smell she could identify was a light smell of smoke and incense, or maybe that was because of the burnt bodies, who knew?

“I’m fine. It’s more the smell than the cold.” She answered, slowly relaxing her stance. “I haven’t seen you before, have I?”

“No, I started today,” They smiled at her, “Deputy Jordan Parrish, at your service. Are you sure you’re okay?”

She gave them a kind smile, “Yeah, I’m good. I’m just waiting for my dad. I’m used to this.”

“Alright, let me know if I can do anything for you.” Jordan nodded her way and left to help her father and the other deputies.

She found them intriguing really, for they seemed like a nice young person, honest, kind, hardworking. No doubt her father would like them if they continued on that track.

She slowly pushed herself away from the cruiser and took a few steps towards the woods near the back, breathing in some of the woodland smell there to try and cleanse her nose.

A familiar scent hit her as she walked, making her stop in her tracks and open her eyes. As she looked around, she noticed she wandered off a good distance from the cruiser and her father. Though she could still see their lights in the distance. Why had she been drawn here of all places?

She took another deep breath, taking in the smell of leather, sandalwood, and cinnamon in its faintest of traces. Her eyes briefly glowed golden as the scent finally clicked in her mind. That couldn’t be…

She had to tell dad. Now. She turned back, going down the hill as fast as her legs could carry her until she saw the cruiser’s lights and her dad working with Deputies Parrish and Clark. They were just helping the coroner with getting the bodies transported, and the rest of the crime scene mapped out just as she arrived on the scene. “Dad! Dad, I need to talk to you!”

She barreled under the police tape, past deputy Strauss and Haigh, straight toward her dad and the coroner.

“Whoa, hey, Malia! Stop!” Strauss called after her, though she didn’t listen and kept walking.

“Malia, not now, sweetheart.” Her dad snapped at her when she approached. And although that hurt, she understood he was exhausted and was dealing with a lot of stress. “Dad, this is important, it can’t wait.”

“I’m sure it can wait ten minutes until I’m done, please sweetheart just wait in the car.” Her dad sighed, seemingly aging ten years at that moment.

“But dad-” She couldn’t finish her sentence for Jordan blocked her view and gently led her back towards the cruiser.

“Just give him a little bit of space, I’m sure he’ll gladly listen to you once he’s done.” They said.

“No, you don’t get it, this is important. He needs to know!” She wouldn’t let up, but she also didn’t want to hurt the deputy. They were just doing their job, after all.

“And he’ll listen to you, in about ten minutes,” Jordan repeated, giving her a kind smile as they opened the cruiser for her. “Please give him a little bit of time.”

She sighed, suppressing a growl as she sat down in the driver’s seat and crossed her arms over her chest. “No he won’t, he’ll forget.”

It wasn’t their fault, Jordan was trying to help both of them, and they were caught in the middle. Still, the deputy’s smile didn’t falter. “I’ll make sure he’s in this car in ten minutes. You have my word.”

They gently closed the door and went back to her father to help them wrap up their findings.

About eight minutes passed when suddenly the radio crackled to life. “Sheriff Stilinski, this is dispatch we have a 10-35 at Video 2*C in the south West Hills district. Please confirm.”

“This is Sheriff Stilinski, 10-35 at Video 2*C, 10-4. Going on route with deputy Parrish.” Her father’s voice said over the radio. She could see him direct the other deputies to finish up at the current site.

Parrish took their own cruiser and followed up behind them as her father directed her to where she had to drive next.

“So what was it that you wanted to tell me? What was so important?” Her father asked her as she drove to the next scene.

For a moment, she wondered if she should make him wait and sweat a little, but the tired look in his eyes and the almost broken demeanor of the normally strong man changed her mind. “I smelled dad, out in the woods. The scent was faint, but it was him.”

“Malia, that’s-” Her father looked at her as if his whole world was going to collapse all over again. “That’s not possible, sweetheart.”

“Dad, I’m sure. I know his scent, just as well as I know yours and Stiles'.” He had to believe her. He simply had to. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she knew what she had smelled.

“That’s-” Her father broke down with a sob, laying his head against the window as he cried. It felt like someone pierced her heart and twisted it. A lonely tear rolling down her cheek as she watched her father break down and sob.

“Malia, that’s not possible. He’s in a coma. He can’t- How would he even get out here?” And it was too much for him, her father simply closed his eyes and sobbed, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to find some comfort.

She hadn’t even thought of that. Never even considered what all of this could mean. “Maybe someone’s trying to frame him? Or throw us off the trail?”

Her father shook his head and managed to pull himself together just enough to talk. “What like the hunters who killed Laura? That’s one hell of a stretch…”

“Well, you connected with him today. What if there’s more to this?” Maybe dad was more mobile than they thought, how, she didn’t know. But how else could his scent end up there? It was either dad himself, or he was being framed.

He had to take another steadying breath. “There’s no way, he’s in a coma, and he can’t move. Sweetheart, I don’t want to doubt you, but-”

It was breaking him. She could see it clear as day, and that made her hesitate. She was sure that what she had smelled was her father. But dad was right. He was still comatose and in the hospital. How in the hell would he have gotten out here? They had to figure that out first. For now, she couldn’t bear to see him break further. So she’d let it go for now. “Maybe my nose is wrong, maybe you’re right.”

Her father let his tears fall and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his jacket to clean himself up. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Neither did she.

-

_“Katey,” He smiled at the little toddler in her playpen and jingled the plastic keys she liked to play with above her head. The little toddler giggled and reached out towards it, babbling as she tried to grab ahold of them._

_“Wanna, wanna.” “Almost, almost.” The six-year-old held them a little closer and cheered as his sister’s little fist closed around the keys and pulled them down. “Well done, Katey!”_

_He felt two arms wrap around him and smelled his mother’s scent as she lifted him up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I see you’re taking great care of her,” She stroked back his hair and cuddled him close, “I’m so proud of you.”_

-

_The arrow landed into its target with a good thump, and he slowly lowered his bow to take a good look at his shot. He hit it right dead center once again. He smiled and looked back at his mother and sister, who were watching him practice his marksman skills. “Well done, sweetheart! Try again.”_

_He nodded at his mother, smiling when he heard Kate’s soft whines of “Why does Chris get to shoot arrows?” and his mother’s answer of “Because he’s ten and you’re six.”_

_He drew back another arrow and focused on his target ahead and fired it when he was sure it would strike true. It landed right next to the other one. His mother cheered._

_“You’re two centimeters off.” The stern voice of his father cut through her cheers, and he couldn’t help but wince at the tone. “I’m sorry, sir.”_

_“Sorry won’t save those who depend on you; marksmanship will. Keep trying until your arrows land true.”_

-

_“Mom, do I have to come with you and dad?” Chris asked the twelve-year-old looked up to his mother with something akin to desperation. He didn’t want to hunt or hurt anything. But his father had said he didn’t have a choice. It was a family thing._

_“Sooner or later, we all have to, sweetheart.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead and smiled. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”_

_“I can stay behind and watch Kate. I don’t mind. We’ll have fun.” Maybe he could use his sister as an excuse to get out of this._

_For a moment, she looked torn, and he couldn’t help but wonder what dad had said to her to change her mind about him hunting. “We already have a sitter for Katey, as sweet as that offer is. Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe.”_

-

_He startled and looked around the dark room to see what had woken him up. Was it a werewolf, a vampire, a wendigo? He reached for the knife under his pillow but froze when he heard someone cry and snivel next to his nightstand. He slowly reached for his lamp and flicked it on, leaning back in surprise when he spotted his little sister standing next to him. She had a red handprint on her right cheek, and tears rolled down her face._

_“Katey?” “I’m scared…” The little girl whispered, sobbing softly as she held her cheek. “I wish mommy was here.”_

_Tears pricked in his eyes as he thought back on that awful night, the same night when he’d seen his mother being bitten by one of those monsters. She hadn’t come home that night. The fourteen-year-old made room for her on the bed and patted the space next to him. “Come here, Katey. I’ll protect you from the monster.”_

_He didn’t go back to sleep that night while his sister slept in his arms._

-

_They wouldn’t stop crying. They just wouldn’t stop crying. He couldn’t handle this right now, not with everything going on and the constant threat of his father over their heads. And he just wanted to scream and rant at them to shut up. He wouldn’t. He would never do that. But the urge was there._

_He just couldn’t figure out why the two four-year-olds were crying at one another. He sighed softly, freezing up when he heard the front door open and close. Wait. Dad didn’t have a key to this place. It couldn’t be him. He reasoned just as his sister walked into his living room._

_“Jesus, what the hell happened?” Kate walked over to where the twins were crying and gently picked up Allison, rocking her in her arms to soothe her. “Shhhh, it’s okay, sweetheart. Aunty, Kate is here.”_

_“I have no idea. They started when I turned my back for five seconds, and they haven’t stopped. They just won’t stop.” He gently picked up Jackson and tucked the crying child into his arms with his head under his chin. God, he was so tired. Everything was just too much._

_Allison’s snivels slowly disappeared, but Jackson’s just kept going. Despite his best efforts to soothe the distraught boy, he just kept bawling. “It’s okay, buddy. Papa’s here. I’m here now. Everything’s gonna be okay.”_

_“Now what happened, sweetheart?” Kate asked the little girl once her cries had fully dried out._

_“Jackson stealed Simba,” Allison sniveled, “But he had Bear too, and he wouldn’t let me keep Sim.”_

_“But I wanna-” Jackson cried._

_Well, that cleared up a lot. Jackson was just Jackson, and Allison had to deal with her brother’s antics, and that had turned into an understandable crying fest. Allison because her brother was bullying her, Jackson, because he wasn’t getting his way._

_“You can’t just keep stealing your sister’s toys, Jax. You gotta learn how to share and be nice. Alli will play with you more if you share.” He knew just trying to get Jax to be nice wouldn’t work unless Jax thought he could gain an advantage from it. He was too much like Peter for it. Always looking for the best opportunities for himself. It was what he both loved and hated about the two of them. Like father, like son._

_Jackson’s cries finally subsided, a few fat tears rolled down as the child thought about it. “Ok, Sim’s under the sofa.”_

_“And where’s Bear?” Kate asked as she fished Simba from under the sofa, handed the stuffed lion to Allison, and looked around for Bear._

_“I threw him up the shelf.” Both of them looked up at the bookshelf above the tv and stared in wonder at the stuffed Newfoundland dog that lay on top of it._

_“Consider me impressed,” Kate muttered in surprise but grabbed the toy and handed him to Jax, regardless. “Here you go, bud.”_

_Jax wrapped his arms around the fluffy dog and cuddled it close._

_He smiled despite his son’s antics and pressed a kiss to Jax’s forehead. “What do we say, Jax?”_

_“Thank you, aunty, Kate.” “You’re welcome, sweetie.” Kate grinned and adjusted Allison in her arms as she looked up at him. “Glad I could help out, doofus.”_

_“I’m glad you did too, you little menace.” He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on her temple in thanks. “Thank you.”_

-

“Aunt Kate?” He smiled at her, still not believing what he was seeing. But he sure as hell was grateful that she was here now. His aunt smiled in return and walked up to him, ruffling his hair affectionately while gently checking him over for any bites or wounds.

“It’s good to see you again, Jax,” She let her hand linger on his cheek for a second, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

She grinned and squeezed his knee in affection. “And handsome to boot. My lord boy, I don’t see you or your siblings for one year, and this is what you grow into? I know for a fact you didn’t just get those genes from your daddy.”

He knew she probably meant herself, and yet that little comment made him wonder if aunt Kate knew about who his other parent was. She must have known, right? And judging by her reaction and the way she said that, she was probably testing how much he knew. Which meant dad hadn’t talked to her. And that meant that dad didn’t trust her. Because of what happened years ago and now with Ben being a werewolf and the fact that aunt Kate would probably kill his little brother if she knew the truth. He had to tread carefully around her.

“Nah,” He laughed, “Allison and I take after our aunt in that aspect.” He joked along, elbowing Scott in the ribs when it seemed like the young Alpha wanted to comment.

“And who’s this handsome young man?” Aunt Kate looked Scott over, clearly studying him while trying to figure out why he was here with Jackson himself.

“Scott McCall,” Scott muttered, trying to meet Aunt Kate’s gaze, but the older Alpha intimidated him. To be fair, Aunt Kate had that effect on a lot of people. “I’m uh-”

“He’s in my class. We were taking a walk.” He quickly answered.

“McCall? As in Melissa McCall?” Aunt’s gaze flicked from them to Julio. Clearly, she put the dots together as well. “Isn’t that something.”

“Wait, how do you know my mom?” Thank god for Scott’s cluelessness, it might have just saved both their asses.

Aunt Kate smiled sweetly, “Never mind that. I’m sure Julio can make sure the both of you get home safe?” She looked at the other hunter with a gaze that clearly said; _You better make sure nothing happens to my nephew._

He thought it a bit odd that aunt Kate didn’t want to stick around him, but on the other hand, he didn’t want her to. As lovely as it was to see her again, the potential threat she was to Ben canceled out his wish for her to be around and protect them from that thing. Still, he needed to keep up appearances. “You’re not sticking around? What if that thing comes back?”

“Julio will protect you, and you don’t need to worry about that monster, little Jax. I’m not gonna let it hurt you.” Aunt Kate gave him another sweet smile and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Oh and, don’t tell your dad I’m around. I want to surprise him.”

“Sure thing.” He nodded and smiled at her words. Though it made his stomach churn and his mind race. There was no way in hell he was going to hide aunt Kate’s presence from his dad. Not with everything going on. He needed to call his dad as soon as possible.

Aunt Kate rounded up her group of men, one of them returned Julio’s crossbow to him, and drove off in a convoy of pickups and four by fours. It was a rather chilling sight to see her leave with what was essentially a small army.

He and Scott looked at Julio, who observed as the hunters left and waited until they were out of sight. “How much do you know? Both of you.”

Scott stared at the older man in disbelief, his eyes flicking to Jackson. “About what?”

He almost wanted to applaud McCall for keeping up the clueless act, then again knowing McCall. It wasn’t an act.

Julio raised an eyebrow. “About what you are and what attacked you. I’m not blind Scott, and in case you didn’t notice, those hunters back there, they would’ve lynched you without another thought if it weren’t for me.”

“We know quite a bit, Julio. Not everything, but more than I just told my aunt.” He answered honestly. He remembered Julio and how the older man had taken him and Allison in for a few days on multiple occasions, he’d even watched Ben a couple of times. He had no reason to distrust Julio at this point and considering Julio had just saved both of their lives. It was more beneficial to be honest with him.

“Wha- you’re just gonna tell him?” Scott gaped at him.

“He just saved your life, Scott. And I know him, my dad trusts him. And so do I. He watched out for me, Allison, and Ben on multiple occasions.” He explained, hoping it was enough of a reason for the young werewolf. At least for now.

Scott thought about it for a few minutes before nodding. “I guess.”

“So, our monster?” Julio studied them for a moment.

“A beast class Alpha, I don’t know why, but I think it’s killing people for revenge.” He honestly didn’t know how he knew that, but it was a feeling he couldn’t shake after seeing the body inside the store. The wounds felt personal, violently personal.

“It wouldn’t be a beast class otherwise. Alpha’s, they don’t turn out like that unless their transformation was triggered by trauma and a thirst for revenge.” Julio explained.

“Do you know who it is?” Scott asked.

“Aye, I know who it is. I was there when it was created.” Julio looked down at the floor and sighed. “I need to speak with your father, Jackson.”

“So, who is it?” He couldn’t understand why Julio wasn’t telling them, though honestly, Julio had just provided him with incredibly useful information. Whoever it was, it was created through a traumatic event, and it had a high personal stake in something the video store employee was involved in. That combined with everything that they’d learned, that had to mean something. It pointed to somewhere in the hospital, somewhere near his dad. Somehow his dad was in the center of all this.

“I’ll tell your father when we meet. He can decide if he’ll tell you.” Julio said, pulling out his phone as he spoke. He held up a finger to both of them as he dialed 911. “There’s been an animal attack at the 2*C video store. One victim is deceased, two unharmed. I need an ambulance and a police officer. My name? Miguel Gonzales. Thank you.”

Julio hung up, and he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out quickly, noticing his dad was calling him. They’d been gone for almost fifty minutes, judging by the current time.

“Dad, We’re okay.” “Jackson! Thank the fucking gods, where are you?” He could hear the panic in his father’s voice.

“Is Scott with you?” That was Melissa in the background

He let out a relieved chuckle at hearing their voices. “Yeah, yeah Scott’s with me. We’re at the video store.” He paused. “Dad, we’re okay, but we were attacked. The Alpha, it was here.”

He could hear the phone drop on the other side before he heard scrambling around. “Is it still there? Jackson-?”

“It’s not, dad we’re safe,” He quickly answered, “Julio came to our aid, he wasn’t alone. Aunt Kate’s in town too. We didn’t tell her anything.”

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. “Is Julio still with you?”

He looked up at Julio, who nodded at him. “Yeah, he’s here. He’s sticking around.”

“Alright, stay where you are, we’re coming to pick you up.” His dad hung up right after.

-

Malia pulled up to the scene, gasping when she spotted the pick up with two teens and a man in the parking. “Oh my, that’s-”

“Pull over.” Noah was instantly on alert, and Malia obediently did as she was told. The second she put the car in park, he was out of his seat, a hand hovering over his gun until he got closer. He recognized the older man standing near Scott and Jackson. He sighed in relief. “It’s good to see you again, Julio.”

“Sheriff Stilinski.” Julio gave him a curt nod and a polite smile.

“Noah.” Jackson shifted a bit in his seat, looking like he just needed a hug and some kind words to get him through the ordeal. Though he also knew not to push the teen into anything he didn’t want, for as Jackson reminded him, he wasn’t his parent. No matter how badly he wanted to be.

“How are you holding up, boys?” He decided to ask about both of them, keeping things a bit lighter and more general.

“I’m okay, Mr. Stilinski, a little shaken, but I’ll live,” Scott answered, wrapping Julio’s jacket tighter around himself for warmth.

“I just want to go home,” Jackson whispered, he leaned forward then and just rested his head against Noah’s chest. He wrapped his arms around the teenager and pulled him close, rubbing his back to comfort him.

“We’ll get you home as soon as the EMT’s look you over, and we’ve secured the scene, alright. You stay here with Julio.” He muttered into the teen’s ear and gently ran a hand through the short blond hair. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Jackson looked like he wanted to protest for a moment but nodded into his chest anyway and leaned back to give him some space. “Okay.”

The fact that Jackson wasn’t fighting him worried him. Whatever had attacked them had made an impact on the teen. And the shock seemed to be setting in.

“It was a beast Alpha,” Julio muttered, only loud enough for him to hear, “I shot him with an arrow before the others caught up to get it off them. I think it fled out the back, and others are chasing it.”

He filed that information away and nodded at the hunter, letting out a sigh as he made eye contact with Parrish and nodded at the deputy. He looked back at Malia. “Stay with your brother and Scott, don’t wander off.”

“Sure.” Malia nodded, approaching the unusual silent Jackson like one would approach a wounded animal. “You okay, Jax?”

“Yeah, I'm just- wrapping my head around things.” The older teen shook his head. “There’s so much that doesn’t make sense, and I don’t know how to process it.”

“I know what that feels like,” Malia answered, taking a few deep breaths. He noticed her frown and the way she looked around in confusion and made a mental note to talk to her once everything was secure.

He met up with Parrish at the door of the store, signaled to them to get their gun out as well, and started a sweep of the perimeter. The store itself was havocked but empty, aside from the body of the employee they found. Looking at the body, he could tell that this was indeed a werewolf attack, as Julio had said. Whoever was operating from the hospital was now killing random people in Beacon Hills. He did not doubt that the two men they found earlier tonight were also victims of the same werewolf though their bodies had been in a remote location and thus not discovered until the next night.

One was an accident, two a coincidence. Three was a pattern. So what did all three victims have in common? That was the question.

He and Parrish pushed on, through the back door and towards the fence at the back of the property. They found a bloodied arrow on the ground near the fence and giant paw prints leading away from the crime scene and in the general direction of the city and the river that ran through Beacon Hills. Most likely to shake off the hunters on its tail.

“I’ve never seen an animal attack someone and then escape through the back door. Why would it do such a thing? That makes no sense…” Parrish muttered as they studied the footprints.

“Welcome to Beacon Hills, Deputy,” He sighed in return, “Nothing makes sense in this town.”

Once they secured their perimeter, they returned to Jackson, Scott, and Julio just as an ambulance, and Chris’s red Tahoe pulled up on the lot.

-

“Jackson!” “Scott!”

Chris stormed out of his car the second it was in park and ran towards his son, wrapping him in a vice-like hug the second he could. He noticed Melissa did the same with Scott.

He clutched his son close, burying his nose in Jackson’s hair as he fought back tears of fear, anger, and relief and simply clutched his baby close to him. “Thank god you’re okay. Thank god you’re safe.”

“I am never letting you out of my sight again.” He felt Jackson’s arms wrap around him, and the teens sobs wreck through him as he cried. “Shhhhh, baby, it’s okay. I’m here. Papa’s here.”

“Dad, I’m so sorry,” Jackson sobbed, “I’m sorry for being an ass, I’m sorry for yelling at Derek. Sorry for scaring Ben. I’m sorry for being a bitch to Noah. I’m sorry for being a jerk. I-”

“Shhh,” Chris tried to soothe the distraught teen. “I know, I know you are. I know, it’s okay. I’m here. Nothing’s gonna hurt you.”

He saw Noah and a couple of EMT’s approach them from the corner of his eyes. “We’re just gonna check you for injuries and bring you home, okay?”

He felt Jackson nod against his chest and pressed a desperate kiss to his son’s forehead. God, he could have lost him tonight. He could have lost his baby and the mere thought of that…

It was more than he could take. He wouldn’t be able to live on if he ever lost one of his babies.

“God, you’re okay…” He steadied his breathing and clutched Jackson for another minute. “I could’ve lost you…”

“I’m okay, dad. I’m okay now that you’re here.” Jackson’s arm gripped him like a vice, scared to let go, and honestly, he didn’t mind holding him for a few more minutes. Just breathing in his scent and feeling his heartbeat against his chest.

One of the EMT’s gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and he reluctantly stepped back from his son, though he kept one hand on his shoulder where he clutched at Jackson’s shirt. He wasn’t letting him go. Not ever again.

-

Melissa had shot out of the car the second she could and practically tackled her son into a hug. “You are not leaving the house again until you’re thirty! You hear me?!”

Scott laughed in relief and wrapped his arms around his mother. His laughter soon dissolving into soft sobs. “Mama, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Shhh, baby, it’s okay. I’m here. Mama’s here, sweetie.” She ran her fingers through his hair and clutched Scott to her chest. Breathing in his scent to remind herself that he was still here, that he was safe, and she could take him home in one piece.

She looked up through her tears and stared in awe at the man she hadn’t seen in seventeen years. Not since she cut all contact with her family and all other hunters that she knew. “Hermano…”

“De nada, hermanita.” Julio smiled at her and wrapped his arms around both her and Scott. She felt her son freeze for a second but pulled him back into the hug. “Mi Familia es mi Vida,” Julio added.

“Mi Familia es mi Vida.” She agreed, slowly letting go of both her boys. Her son and her brother, who had never met one another before and then met up in terrible circumstances. Then again, wasn’t that pretty much the hunter way?

“My family is my life?” Scott asked, looking at both of them in confusion. “You called him your brother?”

“She did,” Julio answered, “Because I am. I didn’t think we’d meet this way, Sobrino. But I am your mother’s Hermano, your tío.”

Scott wiped away his tears and looked from her to Julio and back. “I have an uncle?” he asked in a small, broken voice.

“Yes. Yes, you do. Scott, this is your Uncle Julio, I wish you could’ve met under better circumstances.” She said, wiping her tears away.

“Is that why you didn’t shoot me? Back inside?” Scott looked at Julio with something between wonder and distrust.

“Excuse me?” Had she just heard that, right?

Julio gave them both an apologetic smile. “It is, though the hunter’s code may say we hunt those who hunt us, our family’s code comes first.”

“Mi Familia es mi Vida.” Scott filled in the blank and nodded in understanding. “That’s why you protected me. That’s how you knew my name.”

She looked between the two, not sure if she heard all of that right. Her brother had had a weapon at her son at some point, but because he knew who Scott was had chosen not to shoot him. How in the world had he known what her son looked like? “Wait. How?”

Julio looked down at his feet and shrugged. “I kept tabs while keeping my distance. I needed to make sure Rafe was treating you right and that you were safe. Then I learned you had a son, so I wanted to know he was safe too. I never approached you, you wanted an out, and I respected that so I kept my distance while trying to keep you and Scott safe. I kept others from finding you, scattered your trail as much as I could.”

She gently laid a hand on his cheek and smiled as a few tears escaped her. All this time, her brother was still at her side, protecting her, even after she had walked out on her family. “Thank you. Though if you ever point a weapon at my son again, I will beat your ass for a week.”

“I will gladly take that beating if I ever do.”

-

Once everything was secure and more people from the department came in to take over, he walked over to Malia and wrapped his arms around his little girl. Pressing a kiss to her temple and wrapping his arms around her to ground himself. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just. I know you think I’m crazy, but I can smell him again. His scent is all over the store.”

He sighed softly, trying to organize his thoughts into something coherent, but honestly, he wasn’t sure what to think anymore. “Alright. Let me finish up here and see if we can all head home.”

He didn’t mean to dismiss her feelings or instincts. He wanted to believe her. But the mere notion of what she was suggesting was so out there. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

She sighed and looked down at her feet. “Sure, whatever.”

“Malia-” He honestly didn’t know how to handle this.

“It’s fine, dad. Don’t worry.”

-

By the time they got everything wrapped up with Parrish and the other deputies and got to the Argent house, the time was nearing midnight, and everyone was exhausted after another hell of a day. Julio was invited to stay the night. He was a trusted friend of Chris and Melissa’s older brother. He took one end of the couch and his sister the other, while Noah and Chris took the master bed that night. The kids were all back to the rooms they slept in last night, and Derek once again stayed in Jackson’s bedroom.

They laid together in Chris’s bed, with Chris tucked into Noah’s arms this time and his head resting on the druid’s chest as he listened to his heartbeat. “You think our lives will ever be normal?”

The druid chuckled at that and rubbed his eyes sleepily. “Chris, **we’re** not normal. Why on earth would our lives be?”

“I guess that’s true.” He hadn’t considered that, but to have just one fucking week of peace was certainly welcome.

“I think our lives will be peaceful, though, once we get through this mess,” Noah said, subduing a yawn.

“Oh yeah? You see us together with Peter?” He looked up at the man he loved and smiled, fighting off a yawn of his own.

“I do. I see us three, the kids, a couple of new ones. I can see that clear as day.” Noah’s eyes briefly glowed purple as he smiled down at him. “Won’t ever be normal and very lively. But also peaceful, in the sense of nobody’s hunting us. And we can be together. I know that sounds-”

“-Like paradise.” He interrupted the druid and returned his smile. He briefly looked at Noah’s lips, wondering if the druid would stop him if he leaned in. But decided against it. With everything they were going through, it just wasn’t the time.

Noah had noticed his look and gently lifted his chin with a finger. “I know things are crazy, Chris, and there’s a lot to talk about. But my feelings for you and Peter have never changed.”

He met Noah’s eyes, letting the warm feeling of love course through him as he reached out and cupped Noah’s cheek. “Neither have mine.”

Noah leaned in, their noses touching, he could feel Noah’s breath on his cheek. He lifted his head just a bit but didn’t try to kiss the druid. Just nuzzled his nose and cuddled closer. The druid’s fingers curled around his hip, and a warm flow of magic flowed from the druid and into himself, healing his aches, his pains, his fears.

It felt like he was constantly pelted with comforting droplets of pouring warm rain on his skin. Like on a warm Californian night with static electricity crackling through the air, while his body felt like it was getting a warm massage from nature itself.

He felt Noah’s heartbeat against his chest, his own heart fluttering the moment their noses had met. And he knew, he knew he would never let him go ever again. And although the urge to press a sleepy kiss to Noah’s lips was great, he resisted knowing that their time together would come. Of that, he was sure.

Slowly, they fell asleep like that, staring at one another with dopey, sleepy smiles on their faces while maintaining eye contact for as long as they could.

-

He howled in pain as the arrow embedded itself in his shoulder. Thankfully only striking flesh. He snarled at the man who’d fired at him, quickly realizing why said arrow hadn’t hit anything vital. Julio. He staggered back, eyes flickering to Jackson and Scott, who were curled up on the ground. He hadn’t meant to terrify them like that, but the wolf had wanted to play, and he found it more and more difficult to deny him anything.

He heard Julio call out for back up and recognized he was vastly outnumbered, as badly as the wolf wanted the fight, wanted to kill, he too realized that they weren’t going to win this fight. So he bolted, out the back, pulling the arrow from his body before he scaled the fence at the back of the property. He ran toward the river, panting as his paws thundered on the ground.

Cars were approaching in the distance, and he knew he was running out of time to escape. He needed to come up with something quick.

The river. He cut through the icy strong current, hissing as the cold bit at his skin, and the current tried to drag him down. He persevered, climbed out on the other side of the east river, and bolted through the suburban area. His lungs ached by the time he arrived at the hospital, his still-healing body trying to restore cells that were screaming in agony after being set aflame. It felt like he was once again trapped underneath that beam, and the fire was licking at his body, melting, burning. And the screams of his family, of his father and siblings, of his nieces and nephews, tortured him once again.

When he finally arrived at the hospital, he froze as he noticed the pickups in the parking lot. Quickly he took cover in the bushes near the back entrance, where he’d seen Chris and Noah a few nights ago and let his body change back to his small human form. With all the pain, the agony, and fatigue settling over him, he could no longer maintain his wolf form though he could hear it snarl in the back of his mind. He watched as Kate Argent led his nurse out the hospital, one arm pinned behind her back, and into the pickup truck.

“Messana, get in Hale’s room. We’re staking him out. I’m done waiting for this bastard,” Kate snarled, pushing one of her men around, “Either we’re catching Hale tonight. Or all his secrets are spilled.”

He heard her laugh, noticed the wide grin plastered on her features. Oh, he wanted to kill her then and there…

“Oh, I can just picture the devastation. Poor Chris, he’ll be gutted to know what that beast kept hidden.” She looked in his direction, not seeing him, but she sensed he was near. “I’m sure he’ll run straight home! Poor boy will need someone to support him… Lord knows he can’t do it himself.”

The wolf snarled. Wanted to do nothing more than to rush over and rip her throat out. Screaming assaulted his senses, the smell of the fire, the cries of his father, of his sisters and brother upstairs. He could smell the burn-

He shook his head and grasped his ears, hissing as he suppressed the wolf clawing at his mind and the memories that assaulted him. He felt the tears run, smelled the salt, and the cold surrounding his naked body settled in.

He didn’t have the means to kill her. Didn’t have the means to take her down. And if he weren’t careful, if he was too late, she’d drag Chris back with her. He couldn’t let that happen. He was out of options. It was no longer safe to keep the ruse, no longer safe to keep them out. He had one choice left…

The underside of the Industry bridge was cold, clammy, and there was a distinct smell of piss and mold, but after running barefoot through the suburbs, he needed a breather before he tried to cross the bloody thing. Either by water or by road was risky now. Yes, it was late at night, and there weren’t many people about. But the hunters were still scowering the town for him, and going over the road butt naked might expose him before he made it to the other side. And in his current condition, with aching limbs and a healing factor that had trouble keeping up, he wasn’t sure if he could climb to the other side. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if he could make it if he swam either.

He gave himself until an hour before the dawn, carefully listening for any sounds of traffic before he finally moved out and slowly walked his way across the bridge. It was empty now, not a car about nor footsteps in the dark beside his own. By now, he was shivering uncontrollably, his mind plagued by images, sounds, and smells that he knew weren’t there, but he could identify so closely. All he had to do was make it across and get to Chris and Noah.

-

At the crack of dawn, the pitter-patter of little footsteps made him stir, and he looked up sleepily to see Ben standing at the foot of his bed. Rabbit clutched in his arms as he shifted on his feet. “Papa?”

Noah stirred beside him, yawning loudly as he lifted his head to look at the little pup who made the noise. He relaxed when he realized it was Ben and let his head fall back onto his pillow, cuddling closer to Chris for warmth. He let the druid wrap himself around him and gestured for Ben to come closer. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I had a nightmare. I think I peed…” Ben wouldn’t look at him as he spoke. Then again, Jackson had had accidents until he was seven, and Allison still had the occasional accident at six. That Ben had one, after a horrid week, wasn’t a surprise. It’s why he’d put pull-ups on the boy before bed every night.

“It’s okay, bud, that happens.” He carefully untangled himself from Noah, picked up the child, and got him cleaned up and dressed in fresh pajamas. He also quickly checked Ben’s bed, was happy to note, that was still dry. And carried him back to Noah, where he let Ben stay in bed with them for another thirty minutes. Ben happily cuddled up between them, smiling when Noah let him bury his face in the druid’s neck for scenting. It was a stark contrast to his own childhood, but that was exactly what he wanted. He never wanted his kids to fear him, no matter what they did. Especially not for something as trivial as wetting themselves or the bed.

He curled up next to Ben and Noah trying to catch some more sleep, and for thirty glorious minutes, he could close his eyes and sleep a little more.

“Dad? Dad, I figured it out.” He grumbled as he opened his eyes once more and found Jackson and Malia standing near the foot of the bed.

“What?” He quickly checked the time and found it to be six-thirty in the morning. “Jackson, it’s barely light out.”

“I couldn’t sleep. But dad, this is important.”

He groaned, knowing that he’d lose the battle of wits and stubbornness with his oldest son this early in the morning. He took after Peter in that regard. All of his kids did. Goddamn Hale genes. “Do we have to do this at this time?”

“Sorry Uncle Chris, I tried to stop them…” He didn’t even notice Derek standing next to the bed, but he wasn’t surprised the wolf was up already, completely dressed, and nursing a cup of coffee.

“Really?” God, he couldn’t believe this. He needed more sleep than this after this week. He sighed and slowly untangled himself from Ben and Noah. The latter was looking at him relatively sleepy but seemed to be more awake than he was.

“Figured what out?” Noah asked, trying to get up without waking Ben, though he quickly seemed to realize that the child had a death grip on him. He carefully wrapped his arms around the child and sat up with an old practiced grace. Stiles had once been the same way, being able to sleep through anything as long as he could hold onto him and breathe in his scent.

“Who the Alpha is. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Especially with what Malia told me-”

“You two realize what you’re suggesting-” Noah sighed.

He raised an eyebrow at the other Omega. He was missing something.

“Malia thinks she smelled Peter last night, at both crime scenes.”

Of all the things Noah could have said to him, that was by far the most absurd. He slowly looked between Jackson, Malia, and Noah. “We are not doing this in our bedroom at six-thirty in the morning.”

“We’re not doing what as six-thirty in the morning?” Allison rubbed her eyes as she appeared in the bedroom door, Scott and Stiles both slowly yawning behind her.

“I know who the Alpha is,” Jackson told her.

“Yeah, I’m getting coffee,” Allison replied, turned around, and went downstairs to do just that.

“I’ll help you, that machine is a menace,” Stiles grumbled, though he seemed to be a bit more awake than Allison.

“You’re a menace.” The other teen chuckled, wrapping an arm around her brother’s shoulders to ruffle his short hair.

Stiles let out a whine but didn’t try to fight her. He could hear Scott laughing behind them. “I mean, she’s not wrong…”

“Why are you all ganging up on me? I’m not the one who’s dragging everyone out of bed!”

“Am I the only one who’s trying to figure this out?” Jackson sighed, giving him a look that meant he’d better get his ass up. Or else…

“No. But most of us need sleep, son. I need sleep, but I also know that’s not an option, is it?” Chris slowly hauled himself out of bed and placed a hand on both Malia and Jackson’s shoulders.

Jackson pretended to think about it for a minute. Then shook his head. “No.”

“Right…” Chris sighed, turning to Malia, “And there’s no reasoning with you?”

“Considering nobody believes me? No.” Malia crossed her arms.

He turned back to Noah, his shoulders falling in defeat. “We better hear this one out.”

Noah gave him an apologetic smile and gently got up, carrying Ben in his arms as the child slept on.

They made their way downstairs, where they found Melissa and Julio already nursing a cup of coffee. As if on cue Stiles once again made the coffee machine sound like an asthmatic Darth Vader, much to the amusement of the other teenagers. He decided that it wouldn’t be helpful to the poor boy to call him out on it. “Could you make me one?” He looked at Jackson, “I’m going to need it.”

He held up a finger to Jackson to make him wait until he managed to drink a sip from the coffee Stiles had made him. Ben was yawning at this point, sleepy but somewhat awake. And the others seemed to be a bit more awake as well. “Alright, go.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, So, we know someone in the hospital is a beast Alpha. We also know that someone got into dad’s room and stole Ben’s drawing. That person has also been killing people. What we know about dad is that he’s a werewolf, he’s still conscious in his own body but presumably can’t move.”

“Presumably?” Stiles interrupted, wheels in his head turning. “And how do you know the Alpha is behind the killings?”

“I’m getting to that.” Jackson bit back.

He could see where this was going. But denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt. It was a strong emotion, as well. It couldn’t be…

“Now, Scott and I? We were attacked by the Alpha last night.”

“Jesus…” Allison muttered, “How did you escape, unscathed?”

“That’s the thing. It didn’t attack us like it did with the employee. It had every opportunity to. But when it saw me, it didn’t pounce. It walked over and scented me.”

He shared a look with Noah, who’s look reflected his own of something between panic and disbelief. That- that wasn’t… typical behavior for a werewolf. Not unless…

No. Oh, god, no. “I knew it! I knew I smelled him, and that would make sense!” Malia piped up.

“Werewolves don’t scent people in the middle of their kill…” Stiles paled, “Unless they smell pack. You mean-” 

“You think dad is the Alpha?” Allison stared at Jackson in disbelief, mouth agape, and a frown on her brow.

“Think about it. Why else would Aunt Kate suddenly show up in Beacon Hills, why wouldn’t she tell us she was here? What if Aunt Kate had something to do with what happened six years ago and she’s trying to finish the job? That would also give dad a motive to kill. He’s trying to get revenge for his family. Probably with the help of his weird nurse. And that explains why I found the drawing here, and Malia smelled him at both crime scenes. Because it’s dad who visited us in the night. Not because he wants to harm us-”

“He wants to protect us…” Stiles finished.

“Yes!” Jackson sighed in relief. “Exactly. And it explains why the Alpha didn’t attack Scott or me. We’re pack to him. I’m his cub, and he bit Scott.”

“I’m going to fucking kill him…” Melissa growled.

“You can smack him around all you like for turning Scott without permission, but I’m not letting you kill him, Mel.” Chris sighed, not believing his own words. How? Why? When? It just, it was too much to process right now.

“I’ll fucking whoop his ass.”

“I’ll help you,” Noah replied, looking somewhat defeated about the whole thing, “As long as Chris and I can have him back at the end of the day.”

“Deal.” Melissa agreed, taking another sip of her coffee.

“But why would dad turn into an Alpha? I mean how-?” Allison frowned into her coffee mug before sharing a look with her brothers and sister.

“I don’t know how that works, but it was triggered by trauma and a need for revenge,” Jackson said, “That’s what Julio told Scott and me.”

“You what now?” Chris honestly couldn’t believe any of this. No, he could, he just couldn’t process it.

“I did tell him I needed to talk to you, brother.” Julio apologized. “I had no idea he was this smart or perceptive.”

“He’s Peter’s son. And I’m not exactly stupid either.” He sighed; this was just one giant mess.

“Never meant to say you were, my friend. You’ve saved my ass more than once.”

“This just keeps getting better by the minute…” He sighed.

“It’s because of Laura,” Derek spoke up, the young wolf had been looking at his coffee for most of the conversation as the reality of everything finally seemed to settle in. “It’s the chain of inheritance.” Derek’s voice broke off, and a few tears rolled over his cheeks.

He closed his eyes, knowing, just as well as Noah did, just what that meant. Wrapping an arm around Derek’s shoulders to comfort his nephew. He turned to Jackson and Allison, who just seemed confused at those words.

“Chain of-” Jackson started.

“Inheritance?” Allison finished.

He shared a look with Noah that said, _am I going to explain this or you?_ And gave a nod in defeat when the druid sent him a look back that said, _You better take this one you little shit._ But in the most affectionate way possible.

“It’s what the werewolves refer to when talking about the inheritance of chain of command. Like Argents who are a matriarchy, meaning our women inherit leadership, our men inherit the life of a soldier. The Hale’s also have a matriarchy. Peter’s sister Talia inherited the Alpha spark from her mother, her oldest daughter Laura, Derek’s sister inherited the Alpha spark after the fire killed Talia, Talia’s sister Merlia, and little Cora. The chain of inheritance would’ve gone, Talia, Laura, Cora, Merlia; if the other three had died before they could have another daughter, and at the lack of a direct female inheritor, the Alpha spark would then pass to Peter. It skips Derek because Derek’s father Deucalion, has a patriarchal spark. And well, Peter is the older male of the two. Age is a factor when it comes to inheriting unless it’s mother to daughter.”

“Wait, so why didn’t you suspect dad before then? If you knew he could inherit Laura’s Alpha spark?” Jackson looked at the two of them with great skepticism.

He sighed softly and shook his head. “Denial? Thinking maybe it’s a different Alpha? Peter’s comatose. Has been for years, why would he keep that hidden? What would he gain? I mean, I knew the possibility, but I still can’t believe it could be him. Even with all the signs pointing to him, there’s still something in my brain that’s telling me that’s impossible.”

He barely finished his sentence, or a sudden loud thud in his backyard caused Stiles and Scott to scream and Ben to cry out. The next few minutes happened in a slow blur. Because lying in his yard, just outside the sliding window with one bloody hand firmly pressed against the glass, was a very naked, very hurt and bleeding Peter.

His red eyes were glowing as he looked up at Chris and Noah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, what's gonna happen?
> 
> Are Noah and Chris gonna take Peter in?  
> How big is the fallout going to be?  
> What on earth is Kate up to?
> 
> Leave your thoughts in the comments and let me know what you enjoyed about this chapter! <3
> 
> Comments fuel the writer juice!


	12. All broken things can be mended

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent a long time working on this chapter and finally deemed it ready to be released. I'm torn on how happy I am, on the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of this chapter. But I'm also very anxious and worried it's not good. I enjoy it thoroughly but I'm worried about you guys. I hope you like it and that it gives you feelings and I hope it's comprehensible.

Time froze and for a moment the house was as silent as death itself. The only thing he could hear was the thunder of his own heart. Slowly, the sound of Ben's cries filtered back in. The nervous chatter and screaming of the teenagers followed. He saw Melissa run forward to the glass, which spurred him and Noah into action. The door slid open. He fell to his knees beside Peter and immediately cradled the wolf's head in his hands. "Oh my god. Oh my god, it is you."

The tears that ran down his face were his, he knew that but somehow it didn't register that he was crying as he ran his fingers through Peter's hair and stroked his cheeks.

Melissa checked Peter's wounds, he had a deep gash in his side that was bleeding and some minor cuts. The bruises surrounding them were already fading as Peter's healing kicked in. It just couldn't keep up for some reason. 

Noah took a deep breath, eyes glowing purple as he placed his hands over the gash in Peter's side. Magic crackled in the air, like lightning in a bottle if his yard was encapsulated in one. Energy flowed from the druid, green glowing veins shining through his skin, his hands. Surrounding the wound on Peter's side as the energy flowed from Noah into Peter and the gash itself slowly closed. Peter's veins glowed green as the energy flowed through his body, healing every wound, every ache, every pain. Until his breathing evened out and a warm, soft smile appeared on his lips.

"I knew I'd find you both," Peter whispered, reaching out one hand to cup Chris's wet cheek and the other to cup Noah's.

"Well I should hope so, you've been here before..." Noah dead-panned, though his smile was soft.

He snorted at Noah's words, earning himself a light slap on the shoulder from Peter. "Why am I the one getting hit? **He's** calling you out."

"You're closer and easier to rile up." Peter chuckled.

"Wouldn't be the first time he called you easy." Noah grinned.

"Really? You slept with him before I did." It slipped out before he knew it, though Noah had a weird twinkle in his eyes.

"You were the first one to get pregnant."

Peter coughed at that, trying to contain his laughter but failing miserably at it. 

Mel rolled her eyes and gently lifted Peter on his feet. "Alright you three, I think we've traumatized everyone enough with Peter's naked ass on the patio. Fucking move it and start comforting your kids, cause in case you hadn't noticed, there's still a crying child."

Ben's cries filtered back to him and he felt an immense stab in his chest at knowing he'd ignored his youngest's pain. His eyes flicked back to Noah's on instinct, though it was Peter who gently steered him towards Ben. "Go, he needs you. Noah and Mel got me."

He didn't hesitate, letting Noah and Mel bring Peter in while he rushed back over to take Ben from Jackson. "Well done, son." 

He praised the teen, ruffling his hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Jackson would appreciate the compliment even though he grumbled at him and pushed him away. He saw it in the teenager's eyes. He tucked Ben's head under his chin and hummed softly to an old tune he'd used to put his kids to bed. It comforted the little boy, who's cries dissolved into snivels as he clutched Rabbit close and buried his shifted face into his father's chest. Little golden eyes stared up at him, full of confusion and pain and he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away forever.

"Someday, We'll get it together and we'll get it all done. Some day, When your head is much lighter." He sang softly, looking up in surprise when he heard Stiles hum along with him. So Noah had kept singing the lullaby to Stiles and Malia as well. He smiled at the teen and looked back down at the child in his arms as he kept singing. "Someday, We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. Some day, When the world is much brighter."

It felt weird singing it like this but the teens seemed to listen to him carefully, even Derek was quiet as he watched him comfort Ben. He knew Talia had sung that song to her children, as John had sung it to Peter once. It's where they got the idea. He distinctly remembered John singing the same lullaby to Jackson once.

-

They led him to the couch and draped a funny looking cartoon blanket of a blue platypus around him for warmth and modesty. The second he heard Chris sing, his heart constricted and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out. That song...

_"Ooh child, Things are gonna get easier. Ooh, child, Things'll get brighter." John walked around the nursery, rocking a newborn Jackson in his arms. Three days old and already a handful. Honestly, he couldn't be more proud of his little mini-me. He smiled and watched as his father sang to his little boy and comforted the fussing baby with old practiced ease. His father slowly approached him, smiling as he carefully drew him closer and pressed a kiss to his temple without missing a single beat._

_"Someday, We'll get it together and we'll get it all done. Some day, When your head is much lighter." He joined his father's singing, grinning as Jackson's blue eyes settled on him. Though the baby couldn't see more than thirty centimeters ahead, he clearly recognized Peter's voice as he stopped fussing and a few soft coos were heard._

_"We're gonna be like that, huh Jax?" John muttered, smiling down at his grandson when the baby kicked gently. "Yeah, we are... little rascal."_

_"Maybe he just likes his dad better than his grandpa." Peter smiled mischievously at his father, laughing as dad ruffled his hair and pulled him close._

_"Or maybe he sees that his dad is grandpa's little shit."_

_"But you love me anyway."_

_His father shared his fond smile."That I do, Petey. Anu help me..."_

_The memory in his mind warped, flames slowly rising from the depths of his mind to engulf all three of them. He heard Nathaniel's tortured screams upstairs and called out in despair in return._

_"Nathan! Nathan!" He looked up the stairs, frantically trying to call out to his oldest sibling. Horrified sobs escaped him as he realized Nathan was gurgling just out of sight, he smelled the strong odor of burning flesh. Heard the pained sob of "Petey..." just as his brother's last breath escaped him._

_He couldn't believe it, couldn't process the fact that he'd just heard his brother die mere feet away. "Nathan!" He tried going back up the flaming stairs, frantically tried to reach the others whose screams were still rising above the roar of the flames._

_His father grabbed him around the waist, pulling him back before he could try to brave the flames. "Petey, there's nothing you can do!" John yelled._

_"There has to be something! Dad, he's dying!" Why wasn't dad fighting back, why wasn't he trying? He looked over and noticed his nieces and nephews huddled together under the cellar window. Coughing as smoke and ash hit their lungs and made it hard to breathe._

_And he realized that the reason dad wasn't fighting, was because he still had his grandchildren to protect. Most of his children were dying upstairs and he couldn't do anything for them. But he could protect his grandchildren and that was the one thing that kept him focused. The one thing that kept dad going. "There's nothing you can do for your brother and sisters, nothing you can do for Lisa or Rosina. But you can still get us out of here. We can still survive for them."_

_He nodded slowly, fighting every instinct he had to try and save his sisters. Instead, he walked over to the window, leaning over the huddled pups to try and pull the bars off the window. He felt weak and dizzy as he grabbed hold of the bars, his head swimming, and the strong scent of wolfsbane hit him over the scent of smoke, burning flesh, and fire._

_He could see her through the bars, the self-satisfied smirk as she watched his family burn. The men surrounding her looked up at the house, keeping straight faces as the screams of his sisters died out over the roaring fire._

_"Kate!" He screamed as loud as he could, hoping, praying that there was some part of Kate that would have mercy on them. She turned to look at him, her smile squashing any hope he had left. This couldn't be the way his family ended. There had to be another way out. "Shit."_

_He looked down at the crying Leo and Cora and gave them a quick reassuring smile, though in his heart he knew that if the fire got closer. The kids wouldn't make it out. He ran over to the cellar doors, stopping in his tracks as an invisible force prevented him from throwing them open. He looked closer at the cellar doors noticing the black painted line across them. He felt all hope sink to his stomach as the realization of it all settled in._

_Kate had found a way into this house. She premeditated the fire. There had to be more lines outside or on the windows, that's why the others hadn't been able to get out. There was no way to quickly break the line, he had to find another way out._

_He turned on his heel and sprinted towards the tunnel entrance. The fire closing in around them. Dad beat at the fire with his jacket in a futile attempt to battle it and keep the pups safe. Aaron wasn't moving, lying completely still just underneath the window. Krystianna was barely breathing. Thick smoke hung in the air, he couldn't smell them anymore, could barely hear his father calling for him over the roaring flames._

_He was nearly there, could nearly open it. An explosion above his head went off and he was doused in purple powder and crushed by something falling on him. Everything went dark. The screaming around him stopped, only the roar of the flames could be heard._

"Peter?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, startling him from his dark thoughts. His red eyes looked up at concerned blue ones. He instinctively clutched the blanket closer to him and tried to give Noah a reassuring smile. He failed miserably.

"Julio grabbed some clothes from Chris's closet." Noah handed him some underwear, a pair of jeans, and a black v-neck novelty shirt that read; Dad can't fix stupid, but he can fix what stupid does. He raised an eyebrow at the shirt. 

Julio shrugged. "It looked like that might fit you."

"It's the shirt I got dad for Jax's birthday last year. I thought it was funny." Allison said softly, smiling at him.

He stared at her in wonder, taking the clothes from Noah without looking away from her. She'd grown so much, Jax had too. The last time he'd seen them they could fit on his arm and sleep the day away. A lonely tear rolled down his cheek at the thought. He'd missed so much of their lives.

"It's your birthday too, doofus. We were born on the same day. You're only twenty minutes older." Jax rolled his eyes.

He smiled at the sight. God Jax was so much like him, Alli was more like Talia in looks but her humor was Merlia's and her demeanor was Chris's, or maybe even John's. That thought made him cry openly as the image of his father flashed through his mind. His kind smiles. The way his eyes would sparkle when Peter pulled some bullshit stunt. And he knew his father would be angry but also very amused at his antics. His father had always been there, through his heartache, his pain, his triumphs, and his joys. He'd been there for Chris and Noah during their deliveries, guiding them through. And he'd been there for them after, taking care of the babies when everything had been too much for Chris. He wasn't there anymore. He would never get to see Alli or Jax triumph. Never got to see them grow up. So much had been taken from them. And that hurt like seven hells.

The hand on his shoulder squeezed gently, pulling him from his thoughts enough so he could pull on the clothes and wrap himself back up with the fleece blanket. Chris walked up to him, his singing dissolved into humming as he very gently turned Ben towards Peter. Golden eyes looked back at him, the child's face had shifted into his half-wolf form. He was clutching his stuffed wolf to his chest and sniveled quietly as he looked at Peter. He smiled at the child and scooted over a little so Noah could sit down next to him.

Noah sat down on his right, Chris on his left. Ben was tucked tight against Chris's chest. He wrapped both of his arms around his mates, burying his face in Noah's neck to scent him and to let the druid ground him.

He'd missed so much, lost so much. And yet, right now, he was surrounded by family once more. It felt like a tidal wave washing over him and he couldn't stop himself from shaking as he finally allowed everything to hit him. He was home. 

The first sob was uncontrolled, followed by a flood of them as all of his feelings seemed to settle into those of relief and despair. He'd lost so much, they all had. But at least he was back with the people he loved. "I-"

"Shhh," Noah gently shushed him, cupping his cheek while holding him close and letting him press his nose further into Noah's scent gland, "Just let us have a moment."

We'll _talk later_ was left unsaid but he heard it loud and clear. Another sob left him, Chris cuddled closer, the small form of Ben crawled into his lap and a soft plush object was shoved into the collar of his shirt. Ben's stuffed wolf. He laughed at the gesture through his sobs and nuzzled Ben's hair as the child settled against him. 

Malia and Allison curled up on the ground at his legs and laid their heads into his lap. Jackson curled up behind Allison in front of Chris, Stiles did the same behind Malia in front of Noah. And he felt Derek behind him, laying his head on top of his own to scent him. And just for that little moment in time, as tears ran down his cheeks, he had a pack once again.

For fifteen glorious minutes that feeling of peace and calm stayed with them. He looked up to see Melissa watching them with a sad smile. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"You should be," She sighed, "My son is never gonna get his life back and I really want to kick your ass for it."

"Help me bring them down and I'll gladly take an arrow in the ass for what I've done." He might consider the bite itself a gift, but the way he'd bitten Scott wasn't the way they did things. The bite was a gift that was meant to be given in consent. Not forced upon. And for that, he definitely deserved to get his ass kicked by Mel.

"Deal. Was gonna do that anyway. Fucking Gerard and his-" 

"It's not just Gerard," He said. Chris lifted his head from his shoulder and stared at him for a moment, eyes flicking up to Derek who turned his gaze away. And the look in Chris's eyes told him that Chris knew the truth inside. But he couldn't comprehend it.

"No," Chris shook his head and let out a soft sob, "No it's-"

It felt like being burned alive all over again. Watching Chris face the truth of what his family had done was heartbreaking. Like watching another loved one die while he couldn't do anything but watch. "It's not your fault." He whispered, cupping Chris's cheek while resting his forehead against the Omega's. "It's not your fault, love. This is on Gerard, this is-"

Fat tears rolled over the Omega's cheeks, the look in his eyes was broken and torn. As if someone had ripped out his heart. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry."

"Shhh, it's not your fault, babe, it's not your fault." There was nothing he could say that would register in Chris's mind right now. All he could do was try and hold on and pick up the pieces. They were all broken in their way.

"It's Aunt Kate, isn't it? She set the fire." Allison whispered. Jackson pulled her close and buried his face into the back of her neck to comfort her.

"She did," Derek confirmed, "And I showed her the way in."

He looked up at Derek and shared a look of pure horror with Noah and Chris at those words. "Derek?"

"I thought-" Derek looked down at his feet, a few tears escaping him, "- I thought she loved me. The way Uncle Chris and Uncle Noah loved you. And I was-" He couldn't finish his own sentence, his words dissolving into sobs.

Chris had gone pale at those words, quickly getting up to run over to the nearest sink where he promptly threw up the little bit of coffee he'd drank. 

"Jesus..." Julio whispered, looking rather pale himself as he ran a hand through his black locks. "I knew she was messed up but-"

"I'm going to fucking kill her," Malia growled, eyes briefly flashing gold in her rage.

"She's not getting away with this." Stiles agreed.

Noah had closed his eyes at the revelations and released a slow breath. "Derek, did she ever-?"

The implications of what he was asking were clear to all the adults and teenagers in the room. Chris retched into the sink again at Derek's nod. All of them looked like they wanted to do the same thing. 

Kate had used Derek to get into the house. To murder his family. She'd manipulated and groomed a fifteen-year-old to do it. It was messed up beyond belief.

"Holy shit." Melissa cursed, making her way over to Scott to wrap him in her arms. The young pup buried his face into her neck and held her close in return. 

"It's my fault she got to our family," Derek muttered.

Chris, who had quickly splashed his face with water, closed the distance between the two and wrapped Derek in his arms. "No, it's not, son."

His heart shattered as he watched Chris and his nephew break down together. Their sobs resonating through the room. Ben cried out in his arms, the little pup picked up all the distraught scents and emotions. It was all too much.

He wrapped his arms around the pup, one hand resting on the back of his head as he rocked the child in his arms and tried to provide some comfort.

-

His father destroyed their lives because he dared to love. His sister seduced a fifteen-year-old teenager at the age of twenty-five and convinced him to show her all the secrets of his family, only to turn around and burn the boy's family alive. Just because she could? He couldn't even imagine why she'd do it, let alone why she had done such a thing. He held a sobbing Derek in his arms as tears fell, he heard someone else sob too. Wretched and gnarly and broken beyond all means. It took him a while to realize he was the one who made those sounds.

His family was monstrous, he had no other word for it than that. And they had all done that because-

A voice in his head told him it was him. _You're the reason Kate raped Derek. You're the reason Elias and Deucalion got tortured. You're the reason Talia, Merlia, Nathaniel, John, and the kids burned to death. You're the reason Peter ended up in a coma. It's all on you. You shouldn't have followed your heart. You shouldn't have strayed from your place._

Someone wrapped their arms around him, the scent told him it was Allison who came to his aid. A soft humming rose from her chest, soon joined by Jackson, Stiles, and Malia humming along to the tunes of 'Oooh child'. Malia wrapped her arms around Derek to mirror Allison's actions and together they slowly forced both himself and Derek to redirect their focus.

_You wouldn't have had her._ Another little voice told him. _You wouldn't have Jackson or Ben._ He wouldn't have had his babies if he hadn't followed his own heart. He would have been miserable without Noah or Peter in his life. He would have been miserable without his children. He would have been miserable without his friends. He wouldn't be him if he'd followed his father's commands.

His breath was ragged and he was still crying as he held Derek closer and let Allison rub his back in comfort. "It's not your fault, it's not your fault," He sobbed, "It's not mine either."

Saying those words felt foreign. Like he was lying to himself and trying to convince himself of what was true. He was in a way. He was trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault, that it wasn't Derek's fault. It was Kate's fault. Kate had burned the Hale's alive. Kate was going after Peter right now. Gerard was behind it all, he had to have gotten into Kate's head somehow to twist her mind.

"All of this," He whispered, "All of this pain, all of this suffering. All of the death. That's not on you or me. It feels that way, I know it does. It's what my brain keeps trying to tell me, but logically, it's not our fault. It's Kate's. It's Gerard's. It's their fault that we lost so many loved ones."

"Then why do our minds tell us differently?" Derek sniveled and pulled him closer, a shaky breath leaving him.

He let those words sink in, slowly closing his eyes as more tears fell. His voice was soft and broke when he spoke. "Because that's what it does when it's been corrupted by monsters."

-

Hearing those words come from Chris, even if he didn't fully believe them yet, was huge. It showed that as the days progressed, as he started listening to the people around him, he started seeing that he wasn't to blame for someone else's actions. He was proud to be here for him and see it himself. He looked at Peter too, seeing a little, hopeful spark in the Alpha's eyes. He knew Peter was on the same page as he was. 

He pulled Stiles up and into his arms when he noticed the teen was still huddled near his feet, staring off in thought. "You alright?"

Stiles nodded into his chest, letting his smell comfort him as he cuddled close. "Yeah, fine. Just overwhelmed, freaked out, excited, and scared to death. Aside from that? I'm golden."

Peter chuckled beside him, wrapping an arm around Jackson while holding Ben close with the other. He couldn't help but smile at those words. "Only overwhelmed, freaked out, excited, and scared to death? And here I thought you were neither that nor alright, I thought your name is Mieczysław?"

The offended look Stiles gave him in return had him laughing. "Did you just fucking dad joke me?"

He cleared his throat and quickly schooled his features back into a calm, kind smile. Which was incredibly hard since Peter and Jackson were smiling beside him with an eerily similar smile. "I would never do that."

Mieczysław pouted at him, narrowing his eyes with a sigh. "I hate you." He said, cuddling back into him. Though his words held no bite, merely annoyance.

He grinned down at his boy and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I hate you too, you little menace." He said, in a loving fond tone. Stiles seemed to get the meaning though and returned his smile as he cuddled closer.

"I love you too!" Malia bounced up behind him and laid her head on top of his and ruffled Stiles's hair.

"Malia!"

"Oh shut up, you love me." Malia grinned at them.

He saw Peter grin at the three of them, Ben tucked against his chest as the child played with the stuffed wolf in Peter's collar, and Jackson tucked against his side as his fingers ran through the teenager's hair.

-

"You are so sweet I just got cavities," Jackson said, smirking as he leaned further into dad. It was weird suddenly having him around while he was awake and interacting with them. But, he was currently a great source of comfort from the fucking roller coaster of emotions going on around them. So he wasn't gonna complain about that. This time around he might even have someone who understood him. Although papa tried, don't get him wrong. Compared to what papa had to deal with, he was pretty damn lucky in the parent department. Very goddamn lucky. There were just certain things, the way he processed emotions that papa didn't understand. Maybe dad would.

"Says the guy who's currently being petted like a cat!" Stiles bit back at him.

"Uh, have you seen me? I'm too good looking not to get attention twenty-four seven. Let alone not be comforted during a time of great distress." Really, Stiles should know that.

"Oh my god, do you ever shut up?!" The exasperated look his brother gave him was priceless and made him smirk back.

"Not for you, dumbass."

Dad's chest vibrated with laughter and for a moment everyone seemed to pause at the sudden sound. "I never thought I'd get to see this day."

"What day?" Stiles asked. Though the amused look Noah send the two of them made him uncomfortable. Did he want to know this answer?

"The day my little Mischief and my little Jax are bonding like brothers." Dad laughed, earning him a glare from both of them.

"We are not bonding!" They exclaimed simultaneously. They shared a look. "Shut up!"

"Are we sure they're not the twins?" Derek asked as he came up behind Jackson and leaned over the couch to look down at his cousin. He was still red-eyed but his tears had dried and he seemed calmer.

"Don't you dare say that again..." The nerve.

"I hate all of you." Stiles groaned, trying to bury his face in Noah's chest.

"Even me?" Ben's tiny voice stammered and his little brother looked absolutely crestfallen. He wanted to punch Stiles in the face for making Ben feel that way.

Though the pure look of horror and shock on Stiles's face was a good substitute for it. "Wha-? oh no no-no-no. It's not like that, bud. It's just a stupid expression. Actually, you're the only person I still like."

"That's just mean, Stiles..." Oh, Ben was throwing in the sad puppy eyes. If there was one person in this room who could pull them off better than papa or Noah, it was Ben.

"No- I," Stiles sighed, "There's no winning with you, is there? You're too goddamn cute."

Ben grinned at those words and he knew the little shit had gotten Stiles this time. "I am? So that means everyone is friends again?" 

Yeah, judging by the utter look of defeat in Stiles's eyes, Ben had gotten him good.

"Yeah, fine. Everyone is friends. Why is everyone ganging up on me?"

"Because we're all little shits and we love you." Noah smiled, pressing another kiss to Stiles's forehead.

-

Melissa and Julio had been talking quietly amongst themselves while watching their family drama unfold. Melissa holding Scott to her while the teen chuckled at the antics of his classmates and quietly watched them interact with one another.

It was interesting to see the newly turned wolf observe everyone like that. It made him wonder if Scott ever wanted to join in on the pack dynamics but was too scared or respectful to really do so.

He gently unwrapped Allison from him and smiled down at his little girl, who gave him a smile in return and walked over to Malia and Peter. Wrapping an arm around her sister, while ruffling Peter's hair with a cheeky grin.

The pure smile Peter gave her in return made his heart soar. He looked at her as if she had single-handedly cured all the darkness in his life. And maybe in a way, she had. All of the kids had.

He slowly walked over to Noah and Peter, sitting down in front of the couch to face both of them. "I have no words to say on how sorry I am for what my family has done to this one. For what they destroyed."

"You don't have to say anything," Peter answered, giving him a sad smile. "It's not your fault," He looked up at Derek. "It's not Derek's either. Only Gerard and Kate are to blame."

"He's right. And I know you can't process it right now," Noah added, "But you will eventually."

"I still can't believe everything that they did..." Allison whispered, her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke. "And for what? What motive would she have?"

"Maybe she wanted to finish the job that Gerard started," Malia answered.

Chris shook his head. "No, Dad wouldn't have gone after the children. I mean he's a bastard, but he'd follow the code for the most part."

"Except when it's his own son and his children..." Allison muttered.

Jackson hummed at that. "So Aunt Kate has an even more personal motive."

"She blames werewolves for killing our mother," Chris said, looking at his scarred palms. "That's why she wants to exterminate them. And she doesn't care that innocents are caught in the crossfire. She just wants all werewolves to die." He Wasn't sure if he really believed that or if his brain was trying to come up with some sort of excuse. But for now, he'd roll with it.

"She's fanatical about it." Julio added, "The things I've heard that woman say, and many people believe her word to be true. It's insanity."

"You don't agree with her?" Scott looked up at his uncle in surprise and merely received a raised eyebrow in return. 

"I didn't rat you out, did I?" Julio shook his head. "So no, I don't agree with her. I don't agree with genocide. I may be a hunter but I'm not a monster. I don't kill children or those trying to live in peace."

"Glad to hear some of my influence rubbed off on you." Chris chuckled sadly.

"Wasn't just you brother, though you certainly played a part," Julio nodded at Peter and Noah, "They played a part in it too. Showed me that not all supernaturals or gifted are dangerous."

"So why are you working with Aunt Kate?" Allison asked, her gaze calculating but curious.

"Someone has to keep an eye on her. I figured she'd be up to something. Unfortunately, I was right in that assumption." Julio sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked back up at Peter. "I'm sorry, brother."

"What's done, 's done." Peter shrugged, though he could see the pain reflected in the Alpha's eyes. "We'll make her pay for what she's done to us."

"She's not getting away with it this time." Derek agreed, crossing his arms over his chest.

A silence fell over the group after that, although something in the back of his mind kept screaming at him to say something. Jackson, however, beat him to it.

"Let me say, I'm happy you're here. But also, **_how_ _?_** Because we haven't gotten to that yet somehow."

That was actually a really good question and something that was on everybody's minds. It just hadn't been said out loud just yet.

Peter shifted in his seat and looked down at the curious pup in his lap first, letting his eyes roam over the rest of them shortly after.

Honestly, he still couldn't wrap his head around it all, as happy as he was about it. 

The Alpha's eyes closed for a moment, he sighed, his burnt features grimacing a little. "I've been healing for a long time, sleeping for a long time too. When I responded to the moon again, well, my nurse found out about me. And for some reason, she aided in my recovery. Said she could read my thoughts, see my pain. Everything went slow, deliberate. For years I hadn't moved, my body had been healing so slow, so poisoned, I-"

Noah slowly reached out first, entwining their fingers together as Peter spoke to show his support. He found it a bit more difficult to do so, guilt still eating him from the inside out. 

"I finally started to move about 2 months ago, my body recovered enough for me to get up at night near the full moon. I half shifted for the first time in years. And I- Anu everything hurt so much." Peter's voice broke at the end, a few tears rolling down his unburnt cheek.

"And then my nurse- About a week ago. Said Laura was back in town, that something was going on. I wanted to help, I wanted to protect her." He chuckled darkly. "I failed. They already had her by the throat and they-" 

A soft sob escaped the Alpha at that moment, his eyes briefly glowing red as he took a deep breath. "They slashed it. They slashed her throat in front of me and I heard her drop and- and gurgle and I-"

Peter fell silent at that, his burnt features twisted in pain and grief. Chris wasn't exactly keeping things dry either as he was reminded of the slashed up body they found in the wounds. God Laura...

"I couldn't stop them- I was..." Another sob left Peter at those words.

"That's what turned you into a beast class, isn't it? The murder on Laura?" Allison whispered, wiping away tears of her own.

"The Alpha spark transferred to me that night, yes. And it was twisted into what I am now." Peter confirmed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You said he was made that night." Jackson addressed Julio, "That means someone planned Laura's murder and lured dad in. Dad wouldn't have known about Laura if it wasn't for that nurse."

The wheels in Peter's head seemed to be turning at those words. "Kate did take her, my nurse, Kate took her from the hospital."

It was Stiles that filled in the blanks. "That can only mean one of two things. Either dad's nurse is on our side and was trying to prevent further genocide. But considering our kind of luck, she's probably in on the whole thing. That's why Kate took her, to get information on dad. Right? It has to be!"

Jackson nodded along. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but he makes sense. That's the only conclusion I can make."

"The question is why?" He added. For something wasn't adding up. Who was said nurse? Why would she have any interest in what happened in his family? It just didn't make sense. None of it made much sense, but he'd more or less accepted this madness at this point. It was all too overwhelming not to.

"And who," Noah added, "Who would benefit from Peter getting the Alpha spark? Why not keep it in Laura? She was far easier to handle for a hunter than a beast class Alpha."

"Unless they're not planning on handling them." Melissa interrupted. "What if they're planning to bring everything out into the open?"

"They didn't plan it, that's the problem. From what I gathered Kate just wanted to end the Hale bloodline and killing Laura Hale was the next step. I don't think she knew that the Alpha spark would jump to Peter." Julio corrected his sister. "But now, I think Kate's trying to force the Hales out of hiding. Because she knows she needs to end it quickly while the Alpha is healing and recovering."

"She's trying to force my hand by revealing my absence from the hospital," Peter said, giving a rather concerned look to Noah and Chris himself.

"What's the worst that could happen if people found out?" Scott asked, looking rather confused by everything. And for once he was inclined to agree with the young wolf. If it weren't for one little fact.

"Because she knows that if my father gets wind of any surviving Hale, especially Peter, there's no stopping him in going after us again. Right now he's leaving it up to her but he won't if he suspects she can't handle it." He sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to process it all. They had his father and Kate after them now. Going back to the hospital was suicide for Peter, not going back to the hospital was equally dangerous, if not more. 

"So we stand and we fight."

He wasn't surprised the words came from Noah, he nodded at the druid in agreement. "Seems like we don't have any other option."

"We keep saying we won't let them get away, that we'll stand together, and yet we constantly backtrack and worry... I'm tired. I want things to be over. And clearly, they want a fight. So let's prepare and let's fucking fight this time."

"I want to help too." Allison stepped forward. "You'll need all the help you can get."

"Yeah we can train together and I can train Scott and Ben." Malia agreed.

"Absolutely not." Peter snapped, glaring at his daughter. The kids started protesting but the Alpha only had to raise one unburnt eyebrow in retaliation. He smirked at the silence that followed. "If you're gonna be trained you'll need to learn from the best. Which is me," He paused, "And your fathers, and Mel."

Jackson and Allison looked up at Chris and he couldn't suppress the sigh that followed. He couldn't really stop any of this anymore and he knew it. He had only hoped the peace would've lasted longer. "I'd rather not, but if you're going to be in this mess I want you to get yourselves out of it."

Ben, who'd been quietly crying and watching everything unfold, sniffled a bit and wiped his tears on Peter's shirt. "I wanna help too, daddy. I promise I won't start fights-" The little boy sighed, "But I'll finish them."

"Let's hope you never have to..." Chris muttered in return, both Noah and Mel nodding along in agreement. Though Peter just seemed to smirk down at Ben and wink at him. For fuck's sake...

"For now the only thing we can do is get some rest and prepare for the full moon tonight. We have two betas, a wounded Alpha, a new Beta, and a pup who will transform and there's nowhere we can run where Kate and her army won't find them." Melissa added with a sigh, ruffling Scott's hair and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Which means we'll have werewolf proof the house today..." Chris groaned. There wasn't much else they could do though. The whole town was probably being watched by Kate and her cronies so there wasn't really another place they could go to. And he had a mountain ash lined room in his house where he could at least hold Scott or Peter if they got out of control. He wasn't too worried about Malia or Derek and Ben was small enough that he could be sedated if there was no other alternative.

For now, they decided that getting rest was probably the best option, although the kids didn't seem to agree with his or Noah's plan to get Peter up to their bedroom, privately. It had to be noted that all of them protested loudly.

Noah and himself helped Peter up off the couch and up the stairs. The Alpha tried to keep most of his weight off them but it was clear that he was far more hurt than he'd been letting on, judging by the winces and groans that escaped his burnt features and lips. And the way he limped with every step. Noah shot him a rather worried look as they guided Peter up the stairs and into their bedroom. The kids had followed behind them, shooting worried looks at them through the door opening. Though one look at Derek had the young man coral the kids together and away for the time being. 

"Jesus Peter..." He whispered as they laid the Alpha down on the bed and sat down beside him. A part of him still couldn't wrap his head around it. Peter was here, breathing, **_awake_** , and currently smirking up at him.

"I know I'm divine but just Peter will do."

"Anu give me strength..." Noah muttered under his breath as he buried his face in his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He chuckled, the sound dark and broken as he turned his gaze away for a few seconds and shook his head. "That's not funny. None of this is. For fuck's sake."

He couldn't comprehend it, it was all too much, too soon, too bloody early in the morning. After everything they'd been through, after everything they'd fought for... He honestly couldn't tell if it was all still real at times. Things were unfolding so quickly and so exponentially that he was barely able to wrap his head around any of it.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." He felt Peter's hand envelop his own, squeezing it gently. "I know this is insane, I know it's a lot-"

He turned back sharply, "No shit-" and sighed, "I just- goddamn." He didn't really have words for all of this.

"It's been one hell of a crazy week." Noah agreed, the druid sat down on Peter's left side, his hands in his lap as he studied them closely. He could clearly see all sorts of emotions playing on the druid's face.

Pain, confusion, regret, but also relief and joy. A conflicting set of thoughts that seemed to eat him up from the inside. "Why didn't you say anything, Peter? Why didn't you talk to me? I mean I didn't want to say it in front of the kids, but two months? Wh- Did I do-?"

Peter's face and demeanor fell at those words, immediately he reached out for the crying druid. "You didn't do anything wrong. This wasn't your fault. I- I didn't want to drag you down with me."

At that, Noah laughed, the sound dark and slightly broken. He pulled away from Peter and shook his head. "You're a goddamn idiot and a goddamn asshole, you know that?" The druid looked at him. "You believe this?"

He felt tears pricking in his eyes as he watched both of them. He saw two broken men who both loved one another beyond all comprehension. Two men who'd been so hurt by the world around them that they could barely find the courage or strength to let themselves be healed by those that mattered most to them. 

"I believe him." He said softly, "Just as I believe in you. And in us. We've been hurt by so many people around us, is it really worth it to keep hurting each other?"

Noah looked down at his words, frowning as he thought on them.

"I'm so sorry, little druid. I never meant to hurt you. Either of you." Peter confessed.

A deep sigh escaped the druid. "I know. I'm just angry and hurt and- goddamn it Peter we could've been there for one another." Noah slowly sank beside the wolf, laying his head on the Alpha's shoulder. "I know you've been through hell. I know you're trying to protect us from going through it too. We've been there, Peter. Now please let us in too."

He gently squeezed Peter's fingers in return and gently lifted his hand to his lips so he could kiss the knuckles. "You don't have to do it alone anymore."

A sob left the wolf at those words and he felt Peter pull him in close too until both Noah and himself were laying down beside Peter, their heads on his chest. "I wanted to protect my family. I wanted you beside me again. I - I wanted them to pay for- Anu, I wanted them to pay."

-

A million things passed through his mind as he laid there sobbing, flashes of fire, the warmth of the two Omegas next to him. The words that kept repeating through his mind for the last six years.

_I predicted this_

_I told Talia this was going to happen_

_Something like this was gonna happen_

_I said that they were gonna come for us_

_The Argents, they're gonna come for us_

_They are gonna burn us to the ground_

_They are gonna burn us to the ground, but did she listen?_

_Of course not._

_Did anyone listen?_

_Yes. They listened to her._

_She said that everything was gonna be fine._

_We were all perfectly safe._

_But she made us weak!_

_And what happens to the weakest in the herd?_

_They get picked off by the predators!_

_We used to be the apex predators._

_Until Talia turned us into sheep._

If only Talia had listened to him. If she had, they could've done something. The pack wouldn't have been decimated. They could've been safe, and alive.

"I can hear you thinking, Peter-" Noah whispered back. 

And sure enough, he felt the presence of the druid near the edge of his mind. Their touch was clearly enough to establish a connection for him.

"What's he thinking?" Chris whispered, sharing a look with Noah before looking up at him.

He looked down at both of them. "How much I love you both," He replied as a few tears rolled down his cheek, whispering, "How much we've lost. I'm thinking I tried to warn them about Kate. That if Talia-" His voice broke and he rested his nose into Chris's hair to let his scent distract him from his thoughts.

He felt Noah's finger rest against his temple, felt the warm pulse of healing magic go through him as the druid cuddled closer. "All the bad thoughts while he should be thinking about how lucky he is we're in bed with him right now."

Chris actually chuckled at the druid's words and relaxed further into Peter's side. "Couldn't agree more, he's one lucky bastard today."

He was a lucky bastard every day he had them in his arms but he couldn't find the words to say it. Because as much as he loved them, he didn't deserve them.

"Shhhh," Noah whispered as he laid a finger to his lips and turned his head towards the druid. "You let us be the judge of that. For now, we should grab some rest before the full moon."

Chris cuddled closer, burying into his right side with his head tucked under his chin. "Hmm, to quote the wonderful Mr. Jackson and his wise words for children; Go the fuck to sleep." Chris rumbled.

He felt Noah smile in response, cuddling into his left side and throwing a leg over his own and partly over Chris to pin them down like an overly affectionate sloth. It was exactly what he needed to settle down and close his eyes for a well-earned nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be about the full moon. Please let me know if you liked this chapter and if you want to see more of this story. It would make my week to receive a few comments and kudos. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, how you felt reading it. If you noticed any mistakes. Do you have any questions about the story? Is there something constructive or positive you would like to say? Let me know, I would love to hear from you. <3


	13. I'm gonna love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Full moon shenanigans and fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so proud of myself because, before editing and reworking, I officially hit 100,000 words for this fic. (After editing it may be a bit less than that even though I added some more words to make up for it. But we'll see once it goes up. 
> 
> I am proud of my accomplishment, of my tenacity to keep writing this story, and of the journey, I've made so far. Despite not feeling well, despite my mental condition deteriorating, I did it. And I wrote what was in my heart and mind. Of that, I am incredibly proud and I am incredibly grateful of everyone who commented, who kuddo'd, who shared, and who helped me keep going.
> 
> From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. This chapter of light-hearted fluff is for all of you. Thank you for being here and thank you for reading. I hope you'll keep reading to the end.

He woke due to an increase in weight on top of them and quickly discovered that somehow all five of his kids and Scott had managed to puppy pile themselves into the bed with them. With Ben sleeping on his chest, Malia had snuggled in between him and Noah, Allison had snuggled in between him and Chris, Stiles and Jackson had curled up over their legs with Scott in between them as a buffer. And somehow, every single one of them had fallen asleep like that and more impressively, they hadn’t woken any of them up.

Needless to say, he was very impressed.

And very amused as he spotted an absolutely exhausted Derek who was sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room like a loudly snoring sack of potatoes. He found it miraculous that he hadn’t caught any flies with an open drooling mouth like that.

Melissa and Julio had built themselves a little pillow fort in the corner of the room and had fallen asleep together under a blanket, Julio resting his head on his little sister’s shoulder.

The feeling of warmth that spread throughout his body, all-encompassing and pure, of joy and family, hit him like a freight train.  **_This was his pack._ ** Every single one of them.

-

**1993**

_He heard her laughter behind him, the thunder of her footsteps as they ran through the reserve. Every breath was carefully taken and released as she ran after him. An arrow whizzed past his ear and plopped against a nearby tree, sticking to it with its little suction cup._

_He turned around and laughed, “-Ha! You missed M-” Another arrow hit him right between the eyes sucking itself to his forehead with a plop, the force of it sends him toppling backward into a roll._

_“What was that Hale? I missed what?!” Melissa laughed as she slowly approached him, putting her training bow and training arrows away for the time being._

_Julio came jogging up behind her, laughing uncontrollably with an equally amused Chris on his heels._

_“Oh very funny, you find it amusing that a hunter just shot your boyfriend?” He glared up at his hunter, though it didn’t hold any malice._

_Noah and Claudia materialized near them through a portal Claudia had conjured, both the little shits looked equally amused at his predicament. He could even see Noah’s shoulders shaking._

_“Nah-” Chris shook his head as he sauntered towards him. The hunter leaned in close and smirked. “-I find it hilarious.” He pulled the training arrow off his forehead with a soft pop and smiled mischievously. “I personally would’ve aimed for your ass.”_

_He sent a half-hearted glare to the hunter but sighed softly in defeat when Chris pressed a kiss between his eyes, right where the suction cup had left a mark just moments earlier. What in Hell's name was he going to do with this idiot but love him? “You’re such a little shit…” He mumbled._

_“I’m your little shit,” Chris whispered back, his cheeks coloring a bright red when he noticed Mel and Julio both smiling at their interactions._

_The older of the two Delgado's approached him first and gently helped him up. “You alright, brother?”_

_He took the hand offered and nodded politely. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”_

_Mel in the meantime had made her way over to Noah and Claudia. The latter of the two discreetly slipping her hand in Mel’s back pocket. They’d been doing that a lot lately, little gestures and touches and stolen little moments whenever they thought nobody else was looking. But he noticed. He noticed a lot of things. Like the heartbeat in Mel’s abdomen, and the way her scent had changed a few weeks ago. The thing was, he could’ve sworn the baby she was carrying carried Claudia’s scent and not Raphael’s. But Mel didn’t want to talk to him about it when he brought it up. And he had respected that. For the time being._

-

**Several weeks earlier**

_They were all hanging out at the lookout point, or as they called it, make out point. Natalie and her boyfriend Andrew Martin, Claudia and Melissa, Peter himself and his two menaces, even Bobby Finstock who worked part-time at the movie theater had come, even though he didn’t have a significant other. He just liked to hang out with them, or that was his excuse anyway._

_He took Mel aside at some point during the evening. Over the course of the last year, they’d grown closer as friends. And he noticed her recent behavior hadn’t been adding up. Neither had her scent for that matter._

_“So what’s up between you, Rafe, and Claudia?” Beating around the bush wouldn’t help anyone. He must have hit something sensitive, for Mel averted her eyes and bit her lip._

_“It’s complicated.”_

_“Is it?” He, Noah, and Chris were complicated. There had been little to no indication that Mel and Claudia had been in the same situation. Especially now that they had two sets of twins on the way._

_“I- Rafe is my ticket out, Pete. It’s…” Mel sighed and buried her hands in her dark curls. “I can stop this life. I can get out, especially now.”_

_Her bottom lip trembled and her arms went down to wrap around her abdomen. She looked so small, so terrified, that he stopped to think for a moment or two. Should he confront her? She looked to be in great distress already and with her scent change and her behavioral changes. He recognized the signs by now. Mel was pregnant._

_“You don’t want your child to grow up like you. I get it. Chris doesn’t want that either.” He hoped compassion would get her to open up, but Mel just let out a dark chuckle and nodded._

_“Yeah… I love Claudia but there’s no future where my family won’t want to take my baby and raise it into the life. Mi Familia es mi Vida.”_

_So she wanted to break away from the life entirely and start a family with her human friend. Who also happened to be the biggest_

_Dickhead on the planet, with a personality that was lesser than that of a wet rag. While he could see some logic in that plan, it was still pretty stupid to him._

_“So you want to marry a human with no personality to hide the fact that a druid Alpha knocked you up so your family won’t take the baby from you? Did you even talk to Claudia about this plan? Does she know that’s her baby?”_

_Melissa’s expression turned sour. The sneer she sent his way felt like a stab to the heart. “You don’t get to fucking talk like that when you have **four** babies on the way, Hale. And don’t you dare to presume who the sire of **my baby** is. Don’t you fucking dare.”_

_He stepped back, holding his hands up with his palms facing towards her. “You’re right, I don’t have the right. I’m sorry.”_

-

Noah was the first of the pile to stir, stretching himself out with a soft groan and looking up in confusion when he couldn’t fully do so. The sight of the kids piled on top of them settled his nerves, he relaxed once more and smiled, soft and dopey, as he ran his fingers through Malia’s hair and made eye contact with the smiling werewolf next to him.

“Morning sunshine.” Peter’s red glowing eyes were a welcome sight in the late afternoon. He grumbled in response and yawned, a few blinks finally fully signaling his entry into the waking world once again. He pressed a quick kiss to Malia’s temple and tried his best attempt at sitting up, though he was severely impacted by the weight of three teenagers on his legs. So that was what he felt not too long after they’d fallen asleep. The kids had climbed into bed with them.

Another groan from the other side also signaled Chris had woken up, though the hunter clearly wasn’t as keen at the idea of getting up as he and Peter were. Judging by the shifting of the bed and Allison’s giggling as Chris wrapped his arms around their daughter and buried his face in her dark hair. 

“Papa!” Allison’s giggling caused Malia and Jackson to groan and protest as they too were woken from their slumber.

“Alli…’s too early.” Jackon’s groaning caused a pleased rumble to vibrate through Peter’s chest, which in turn caused Stiles to snore loud enough that he woke up everyone else aside from Ben and Scott, who continued to sleep soundly.

“Stiles!” Malia laughed, drowning out the groans of Chris, Melissa, Julio, and Derek while Stiles let out another loud snore.

With most of them wide awake the true challenge in front of them was unpiling their puppy pile without anyone becoming fast friends with the ground. A feat which they would have managed to do if it weren’t for Jackson unceremoniously dumping Scott and Stiles off the bed when he couldn’t wake them up to free the others. It was noted that both Scott’s and Stiles’s protests and groans went unacknowledged by Jax and the blond teenager merely smirked at his brother and his friend. And his quip of; “You snooze, you lose.”

Was met with a chorus of groans, a few chuckles by himself, Chris, and Peter, and Stiles’s declaration of; “Oh my god, dude, lame.”

He shot a look at Chris who had taken Ben from Peter and was cradling the sleepy child in his arms. “You sure that one is yours?” He nodded at Jackson. 

“Considering how much trouble he was to get out?” Chris sighed, “Yeah that one is mine… at least he’s pretty.”

Jackson looked mildly offended at Chris’s words. “Okay one, I had a three-point five GPA at my last school, and two,” He gestured to his own face, “I am very pretty and very proud of that.”

A few disgruntled mumbles agreed that Jackson was good looking, but he was also annoying most people in the room at that point. 

Noah’s muttered “Oh he’s definitely  _yours_ …” towards Peter wasn’t missed by either of his mates, judging by Chris’s groan and Peter’s absolute shit-eating grin.

The teenagers quickly made their way to the bathroom, forming a little line to freshen up and do their business while the adults and Ben made their way downstairs. Where they made sure to wolf proof most of the house before Chris and Melissa started on dinner for the whole group while he took entire plates of meat out onto the grill to prepare.

They send Julio out to buy some more groceries to account for the increase in people and Derek aided them by putting the patio table inside the house to increase the amount of sitting and surface space. By the time Julio came back with cases full of soda, juice jugs, a few wine bottles, and enough meat, vegetables, and potatoes to feed an army there was a fully laid out table in the dining room and the kids had gathered in front of the tv with Ben to watch Phineas and Ferb, judging by the sounds.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the voice of Doofenshmirtz and copied it to his best ability. “A platypus?” He gasped. “Perry the platypus!”

He was actually rather impressed with his timing for he’d done it at the same time as the tv. Peter clearly didn’t share his sentiment, for the Alpha simply looked at him with concern as he watched him grill some hamburgers and chicken thighs. It took him a minute or two to realize that Phineas and Ferb had come out  **after** Peter had gone into a coma. And so his Alpha had no idea what the fuck he was doing right now. They had to rectify that.

“No, I haven’t gone insane, it’s from the cartoon.” He laughed at the utter look of befuddlement on Peter’s face.

“Oh-” Peter looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled. “Like from the blanket? The blue platypus?”

“Yeah, Stiles loves that cartoon and Malia likes to watch it with him.” He smiled at the many memories of them racing downstairs in their pajamas to watch it on Saturday mornings. “It was their favorite and honestly, it’s really good. I love to watch it with them when I can.”

Chris joined them outside on the patio, a plate of vegetable skewers in his hand. “If you’d ask, I’m sure Ben, Allison, and even Jackson would love to watch it with you.”

He was honestly surprised Jackson liked Phineas and Ferb and judging by the way Peter tilted his head and frowned, Peter was pretty surprised by it too. Chris merely shrugged. “I guess he likes the idea of two younger siblings annoying the crap out of an older sister.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Peter chuckled, coming a little closer to both of them. Though the heat and smell of the grill seemed to deter him from closing the distance completely. Considering what he’d been through, that didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

He took the vegetable skewers from Chris with a frown and a look that clearly said;  _Really Chris, you’re trying to feed us all vegetables on the night of the full moon?_

But the look that Chris sent him in return that said;  _You better eat those vegetables because they’re good for you, and Peter and the kids need their vitamins to sustain a healthy body and lifestyle and don’t you dare say otherwise._ Had him keep any comments that he had to himself. Because arguing with Chris while he was in his; I’m going to take care of everybody mood, was like trying to argue with a brick wall. You weren’t going to win that. No matter how hard you tried.

Peter’s face was currently torn between a look of disgust at said vegetables and pure adoration for both him and Chris and it was honestly one of the funniest tormented faces he’d ever seen on their mate. Far funnier than that time they’d locked him out of a make-out session while at the mall. Back when they were teenagers and horny and sassy all the time and when they didn’t have children or responsibilities. 

Still, it wasn’t like he wanted to go back to those days either. He loved these two men with all of his heart and despite the added trouble, they were worth it. Peter had only grown more handsome over the years, his current scars included. And Chris had perfected the soft dad look to a point where he constantly had to remind himself that with everything that had happened between them, the hunter wouldn’t be ready to be tackled to the ground for a make-out session. Slow and steady would win this race. Patience. Something he was never very good at but had learned at the academy and from years as an officer. Patience.

He took the skewers from Chris and set them aside to grill later. Giving the hunter a sassy smile in return. “Yes, dear.”

Peter’s warm laugh and Chris’s deadpan look and twitching lip as he tried to keep himself from smiling, was all the reward in the world that he needed. 

“Don’t you start with me, mister.” The hunter growled back at him, though it sounded more playful and teasing than threatening. 

Peter let out a longing whine at the sound. He couldn’t help but laugh and looked down at the hunter with fluttering lashes. “Or you’ll do what, daddy?”

At that Peter actually choked a little and a belt of laughter escaped from the wolf, especially when he caught sight of Chris. Who had turned bright red at his words and was currently gaping like a fish out of water.

“I- well, I-… I’m going to check on the potatoes.” The hunter promptly announced before heading back to the kitchen. Where Melissa was waiting with a knowing look and several prepared dishes.

“I think you broke him, you menace,” Peter growled, coming a little bit closer just so he could rile him up a little before taking a few steps away from the grill.

He couldn’t help but smirk. “It’s nothing he hasn’t heard before. He’s had worse from me, far worse.” He laughed, shaking his head fondly at the way Peter rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but he hasn’t heard it in what, seventeen years?” Peter grinned, shaking his head at him.

He supposed that was fair and a glance inside revealed that Chris was very purposefully not looking at them. The bright red tips of his ears revealing his state of fluster while Melissa just shot knowing looks back and forth at them while trying to contain her laughter. She was far more kind about it than Julio, who just smirked and kept nudging Derek to point out all the little signs he was seeing. Much to the young man’s embarrassment.

He managed to finish up grilling all the meat and vegetable skewers around the same time that Chris and Melissa finished the side dishes, bread rolls, and other assorted foods. Julio and Derek had set the table with glasses of wine, cans of soda, and in the case of Ben, a glass of apple juice. As well as an assortment of plates, utensils, cups, and bowls.

Peter took his spot at the head of the table, with a plate set up on each side for both of his mates, and called in the kids. “Dinner’s ready!”

The sound of Phineas and Ferb turning off was followed by a thunder of steps as all six kids approached the table and took a seat. Chris sat down on Peter’s left, with Ben next to him so he could assist the little boy as necessary, with Melissa on Ben’s other side. He himself sat down on Peter’s right with Derek next to him and Julio sat down next to Derek, opposite Melissa. Scott sat down next to Julio and Stiles took the opposite seat next to Melissa. With Allison sitting down next to Scott and Malia opposite her. Jackson sat down on the other head of the table, surveying everyone just as Peter was doing.

The table went quiet as Peter slowly stood up. “I realize this is weird, it’s not something you’re used to.” 

“It’s okay daddy, we love you.” The Alpha smiled and melted just a little as Ben interrupted him. 

He couldn’t help but melt at that little statement and shared a look with Chris that made him seriously wonder how long it would take either of them to want another child. If they turned out anything like Ben he couldn’t imagine they would get through this school year before making up their mind.

“I love you too, pumpkin.” Peter’s smile lit up the room, though he also heard an annoyed “show off” coming from both Jackson and Stiles. Which made him smile at Chris and mouth a ‘siblings’ in his direction.

“Now as I was saying-” Peter paused and shot Ben a knowing look, though the boy just giggled and took a sip of his apple juice, “-It’s been weird but I hope we will all get along and build a new pack together. We’re family, we’re friends and we’ve been given a second chance. So let’s take it and make something of it.”

The Alpha sat back down and gestured for them to dig into the food. Though Chris used the opportunity to quickly put a vegetable skewer on both Ben and Peter’s plates and shot their oldest twins a pointed look. Funnily enough, Stiles had managed to sneak some vegetables onto his and Malia’s plates as well.

“Are you sure he is  _your_ son and not  _his_ ?” Julio asked him while he nodded in Chris’s direction.

He laughed and nodded slowly, eyes settling on Stiles for a moment before he sighed. “No that one is mine, a wonderful pain in my ass, but he’s mine.”

“Hey!” Stiles mumbled through a mouth full of chicken. Which earned him a groan from the other teenagers and a gentle tap on the shoulder from Melissa. 

“Close your mouth, Stiles…” She gently chastised him.

He shook his head and smiled. “I love you, kiddo. Now please close your mouth while you’re eating.”

Stiles actually managed to swallow his food before he spoke again. “Sorry pops, I love you too.”

Jackson rolled his eyes at the sappiness going around the table and just ate the food that he’d piled onto his plate, including his vegetables. He noticed Allison, Stiles, and Scott doing the same. Though Malia kept glaring at hers. Funnily enough, Peter was doing the same thing next to him. Like father, like daughter he supposed. 

He sighed softly and loaded a bit of corn onto Malia’s plate as well, knowing it was the only vegetable she actually liked and would eat, and discreetly traded it for her broccoli. He managed to do the same for Peter without Chris picking up on it. Or if he did, he didn’t say anything about it. An act that earned him two grateful stares from their daughter and their Alpha.

The deadpan look Chris send him moments later and the chuckle coming from Derek in response gave him the answer. Chris had seen it. 

“You’re in trouble now, Uncle Noah,” Derek smirked, taking a sip of his wine. A mistake he regretted not a second later.

He shot the young wolf a grin and winked at his mate across the table. “Oh, I hope so.”

Derek choked so hard on his sip of wine that it came out of his nose. A chorus of groans and laughter went around the table and Julio politely handed Derek a napkin to clean himself up with.

“No, you don’t poppa, cause it’s not fun when you’re in trouble with papa.” Ben piped up and everybody froze for a second before Stiles and Jackson let out a rather loud though unified; “Ewww.”

“I do not want to think about that…” Malia muttered in agreement. 

“Agreed.” Allison nodded.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Melissa muttered in response, much to Julio’s amusement who’s snickering and shaking shoulders were starting to increase in intensity.

“Mom!” Scott exclaimed, looking at Mel as if she’d just shot his puppy.

“I do not need that image…” Derek muttered, sighing as he looked off into the mid-distance.

Peter tried to play it all off as if nothing was happening as he continued eating his chicken. Though he could see the little shit was trying very hard not to laugh, judging by the way his lip twitched and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

“What? What did I say?” Ben looked around the table with wide eyes while Chris tried to soothe the child with gentle words and murmurs.

“Nothing sweetheart, they’re just being silly.”

He would have joined in the laughter or would have tried to comfort Ben with Chris but his mind was on one thing. Ben called him Poppa. He’d known this boy for less than a week and the child had already adopted him as a parental figure. Actually, now that he thought about it…

He looked around the table and smiled as he looked upon both sets of twins and then on Ben. Throughout the last few hours, he had consistently been thinking of them as  _theirs_ .  **Their children** . 

A warmth went through him, radiating out and enveloping everyone around the table as his magic reached out and settled. He felt Stiles’s magic give a warm pulse back, the tentative reach of Allison’s and Jackson’s inner energies. And Malia’s familiar energy reach out in confidence. He felt Derek’s soothing energy and the soft bump of his shoulder in support. The curious but gentle energy of Ben, so trusting and open and soft as only a child reaching out to a parent could convey.

He felt Chris’s inner energy soothe, calm and gentle and warm as the sun. Like a mental soft forehead touch to ground him and guide him back to his magic, to his spark. And he felt Peter, strong, mischievous and wild, but also kind and loving. Who amplified Chris’s energy and bounced it back to him tenfold. Like the moon who bounced the light of the sun back to Earth.

And he felt the energies of Melissa, Julio, and Scott. Not enough to connect but enough to detect them. The weaker his bond with someone became, the more difficult it was to identify them. Everyone had energy in them, everyone was made up of molecules. 

A strong druid could sense those energies regardless of the bond they had with someone. A powerful druid could also identify the energies conveyed to them. He could do that with the people he had a bond with and he could sense the energies of his friends and the people around him. Maybe with practice, he could be as powerful as his mother had been and sense all energies, read all thoughts. He might even be able to teach Stiles, although come to think of it, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea… considering it was Stiles.

He smiled at the others, focusing on Ben as the boy reached out to him and tapped the table because he couldn’t reach across for his hand. “Poppa, are you alright?”

A few more smiles appeared around the table as the rest also caught on, though Jackson and Stiles scowled in jealousy. He made a mental note to make sure they got some individual attention later. 

He decided to take a page out of Peter’s book. “Yeah pumpkin, I’m fine. Just really tired and overwhelmed and happy.” He shared a look with Peter and Chris and grinned at the look of longing in the hunter’s eyes and the thinly veiled desire in the werewolf’s eyes. “But I’m okay.”

“Okay good, I’m happy too!” And apparently, that was enough for the almost six-year-old, for the boy went back to ‘eating’ his chicken thigh. Though a big piece of it broke off and ended up on the ground and his entire face was covered in barbecue sauce in less than three seconds.

Chris’s long-suffering sigh and look of absolute defeat had him chuckle and Peter smile in fondness. A part of him really missed those days where a small kid-

As if on cue, Stiles dropped a part of his own food with a small “Oops” and he couldn’t help but look up and shake his head at the beauty of that timing. He’d had that coming.

Jackson’s “Congratulations Stilinski, you have the coordination of a five-year-old…” had the table of teenagers snapping at each other until Peter intervened with a firm; “Enough.”

“Can we please focus back on the food that your fathers and Melissa have prepared for us?”

A chorus of “Yes dad, sorry dad.” And “Yes Mr. Hale, sorry Mr. Hale.” Followed. 

Dinner was fairly quiet after that, the tension among the wolves rising slowly as night fell and the moon started rising. They finished dinner and cleaned up after themselves, Chris and Ben briefly disappearing upstairs to give the little pup a quick bath and dress him in some old pajamas. The hunter came back with the child in his arms, wrapped in a warm fluffy blanket.

The moon kept rising outside and the wolves started going restless, Malia started squirming and pacing, Derek kept fidgeting his hands and walked circles through the living room. Scott started growling low in his throat while rocking back and forth as he tried to fight his urges, and Peter kept checking the windows and the doors to make sure everything was safe.

He wasn’t surprised by their actions, normally he’d take Malia out into the woods and let her run around. He and Chris would have done the same for the rest of the pack. But with the current threat of hunters and Kate out there, that wasn’t a viable option. They had to keep the wolves inside for this full moon.

As the moon rose to its peak, Melissa and Julio escorted Scott up the stairs to Ben’s room. Since it was the only room lined with mountain ash and chained him to a radiator to keep him safe. They locked Scott in and stood guard just outside.

Meanwhile, he and Chris closed off the garage with mountain ash after letting Peter in and locked him in. He’d watch over peter while Chris kept an eye on Derek, Malia, and Ben. Since they were the least likely to cause much trouble.

Jackson, Allison, and Stiles meanwhile stayed in the kitchen where they could watch the transformations from a safer distance.

-

He looked down at the child in his arms and gently helped to undress him as the moonlight started to filter in from the windows. He faintly heard Malia and Derek undress as well but kept his focus on his whimpering child. Ben’s cries of pain and distress intensified as the moonlight hit him. 

He desperately tried to sush and comfort his baby, rocking him back and forth while he cradled him in his arms. Forcing himself to watch the shifting bones and the rearranging limbs. The terrifying realization that his baby was in pain and suffering greatly overpowered him as Ben cried out in distress just as his face rearranged into the shape of a wolf skull and hair sprouted everywhere. 

Chris had seen the change on Peter, he’d seen it on a young Derek and Laura, he’d seen it on John and Deucalion. But he never had to witness his own child transforming for the first time. It was horrifying. He couldn’t stop the sob that escaped him, and yet he tried his best to hold Ben as gently as possible. To cradle him in his arms and lap as they sat on the floor. To stroke back his fur and continue to speak to him in a soft voice.

“It’s okay baby, papa t'aime tellement. ça va aller.” He whispered into the wolf pup’s ears, knowing that as soon as Ben might come out of his transformation pain, his own baby might attack him. He could only pray that the pup wouldn’t.

The pup in his arms whined softly, golden eyes flashing as his body settled in its transformation. A light tan furred wolf pup of around three months old laid in his arms, still partially wrapped in the blanket as too long paws peeked out of it and a floppy tail hung out as well. 

The whining gradually stopped and the pup looked up at him with wide golden eyes. He tried to stay as calm as possible, giving his best smile to the finally calm pup. “Hey baby, papa est ici.”

Ben blinked up at him, letting out a series of whines and yips while his tail wagged and his ears laid down flat. He soon found himself with a lap full of wolf puppy while Ben licked at his face and pawed at his chest. Though the pup's claws never scratched him and Ben clearly wasn’t trying to harm him. Just- a little too enthusiastic.

He noticed a big black timber wolf with blue eyes and a slim juvenile eastern European wolf with golden eyes slowly approaching him and Ben. Their heads kept low and soft whines coming from them. The smaller of the two kept wagging its tail to show its friendliness. Derek and Malia.

Chris carefully held out his hand to the larger of the two wolves, earning a few curt licks and nudges from Derek. Malia in the meantime had snuck up on him from the back and was currently sniffing his hair and licking his cheek as she whined at him and gently nudged at his arm to get a better look at her little brother. And although he knew that she meant well and was just overly enthusiastic, he also knew that packs had a strong hierarchy and family system. He’d been through enough full moons with Peter and the Hale pack to know how he was supposed to introduce his baby and how he was supposed to handle Malia and Derek.

He growled softly at Malia and nudged her to make sure she kept some distance. He didn’t believe she would actually harm her little brother, but considering their sizes accidents could happen very easily. Malia honored his request and laid down next to him without much fuss, he gave her his best pleased grumble in response, which earned him a happy tail wag. 

Derek had copied his cousin without any prompting and just laid there waiting, while curiously trying to look in Chris’s lap to get a glimpse of Ben. 

Stiles had brought Allison and Jackson over and unceremoniously dropped down next to Malia cuddling up into her fur and nuzzling his twin’s muzzle. An act that had Malia grumbling at her brother, though she didn’t move and let Stiles cuddle up to her.

Jackson was the first to approach and tried to immediately pet Ben, an act that he quickly put a stop to by grabbing Jackson’s wrist. “Don’t.”

Ben pressed himself closer to him and started growling at Jackson and Allison, it sounded very threatening but judging by the rest of his body language it was more of a startle response than an actual threat. He sushed the pup and growled back to put him at ease. Then turned back to his twins. “Never reach for a wolf pup before they’ve been introduced to you. Werewolf one o one.”

Allison looked at Ben curiously and really seemed to struggle with the concept of ‘don’t touch your brother while he’s a puppy’ but followed his advice with a pout. “But papa, he’s adorable.”

He smiled at his little girl. “I know, and I know it’s hard. But you should wait until both Noah and Peter have met him.” At their curious look, he elaborated further. “Werewolves, like wolves, have a strict family structure. When a pup is born or turns for the first time, they have to be introduced to the pack. You two were introduced on your first full moon as well, even if you’re human.”

Alli sat down opposite him, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Jackson joined her. “So, we were a part of the Hale pack at birth?” She asked.

“Yes.” He nodded, smiling at the memory. “You were first introduced to Noah and your father. To the pack, the three of us are parents together. As soul mates, we share that role over all five of you. So Noah and Peter were the first ones I introduced you to. You didn’t have any siblings yet back then, but they would be next. Followed by the elders, your grandfather John in your case. And then the Alpha, your Aunt Talia, and her mate Deucalion. Her pups, Derek and Laura, and the rest of the pack, your aunt Merlia and your uncle Nathaniel. The same principle will apply here, today, with Ben and our new pack.”

Derek had stood up from his spot and had trodded over to Jackson and was currently sniffing his hair and pawing at his arm. 

“Uhm, dad?” Jackson was looking at the big black wolf as if Derek could attack him at any moment. Though to him, it was clear that the young wolf was messing with his younger cousin. Much to Allison’s amusement, who had dissolved into a fit of giggles.

And although he knew he shouldn’t encourage Derek or upset Jackson, the opportunity to mess with one of his kids and lighten the mood of the full moon was too good to resist. He carefully schooled his features into a concerned look, sending a quick wink to both Stiles and Allison. “Jackson don’t move… Stay very still.”

Jackson, who had been completely focused on Derek and hadn’t seen his little winks, looked at him with great concern. “Why? Dad, what’s happening?”

“Stay still, Jax.” He warned his son, trying not to smile as Derek edged closer. Nose practically touching Jackson’s cheek. The look on Jackson’s face was one of nervousness but not one of fear just yet. “I think-”

Derek’s tongue darted out before he could finish his sentence, swiping a long line from Jackson’s chin all the way across his face and over his closed eyes. He then let out a happy yip and dropped himself into his cousin’s lap demanding scratches.

“-He really wants to cuddle.”

Jackson almost fell over from the force of having an adult timber wolf drop unceremoniously into his lap, only by sheer force of strength did he stay upright. The glare his son sent all of them had them all giggling, Malia and Ben yipping excitedly along, and after a few seconds, Jackson joined in on the laughter and scratched Derek behind his ears.

“I hate all of you.” The teenager chuckled while trying to free himself from the furry fury of Derek Hale.

He heard the garage door open and the room fell silent as Noah walked out followed by a large silhouette.

-

Watching Peter undress after all these years brought an array of feelings that he hadn’t been prepared for. On one hand, it excited him to see the lean muscled, and the carefully sculpted body more filled out, stronger, and more mature. On the other hand, it also brought a sense of understanding and silence over him as his gaze lingered over the scars and healed burns that covered half of his body. Sure they were healing ever so slowly and leaving new unmarred skin in its way, but there was a sense of heaviness to it that he hadn’t expected. But whether he was scarred or not, Peter was still as gorgeous as he had been seventeen years ago, even more so now that he’d aged a bit and grown into his handsome features.

The Alpha turned to face him, giving an unashamed view of his entire body and he couldn’t help but carefully study all of Peter for a moment or two before nodding approvingly. He definitely liked what he was seeing.

Peter smirked at him, knowing and proud. “I see you approve.”

He hummed in agreement. “I don’t have many objections, no.” 

He smirked and unscrewed the flask of mountain ash before the wolf could take another step towards him and used his magic to blow it into a perfect circle around the Alpha. 

Peter’s smile was almost predatory in return. “Ah, you little tease…”

He gave him a quick wink and pocketed the empty vial. “For old time’s sake. And we wouldn’t want you to- have an accident tonight.”

Peter sobered up at those words and looked down at his own hands. “I would never harm my pack, not even on the full moon. You don’t have to fear anything from me.”

Noah sighed softly. “It’s not us I’m worried about, Peter. I don’t want Chris to freak out, or have you jump through a window. I just want a fairly quiet full moon with our family, like we used to have.”

The moonlight started to filter in from the tiny windows in the garage door, painting little stretched out squares on the concrete floor that slowly crept towards Peter. The Alpha’s eyes flashed a deep red and he smirked as he felt the ripples of change come over him. “Have we ever been quiet?”

He watched with a certain turmoil as Peter changed from the man into the beast. Over the years he’d witnessed many of his daughter’s transformations, he’d witnessed many of Peter’s transformations as a teenager and young adult. But none could have prepared him for what he was seeing right now. Bones cracked and limbs rearranged into that of a monstrous beast. Where normally he would have seen the familiar form of the russet and white wolf, he now saw a giant wolf-like creature of at least seven feet tall stand on its hind legs. 

Scruffy black fur barely covered its monstrous appearance. Its muzzle resembled that of a wolf but it looked mutated, shorter and fatter than that of a normal werewolf, with greatly exaggerated fangs and tiny ears. Its whole head looked way too tiny for the massive chest and back paws. Its feet looking more like mutated hands and feet than the paws of a wolf.

It didn’t look like the wolf he knew, it didn’t look like Peter at all. And yet, he had to be. For the monstrous wolf stood in Peter’s place in a circle of mountain ash. It couldn’t be anyone else.

“Oh, Peter…” He whispered, staring at the creature with great sympathy and concern. Hopefully, if they handled the underlying trauma, their Alpha would one day return to his normal state.

The beast whined softly as its transformation settled as if it was in pain or distress. Which was odd in and of itself. Usually, a werewolf’s transformation stopped hurting after the first time. The first time was always the worst for them. He winced as he remembered the first time Laura, Derek, and Malia went through theirs. He could still hear their sobs and whimpers. But once they’d gone through it, the body settled, and with every consecutive transformation, it only got easier for them to shift. He’d seen Peter’s beast form at least once before, Chris had seen it before, as had Jackson, Julio, and Scott. So this wasn’t his first time. So why was he still hurting? Was it the unnatural aspect of his transformation?

A soft rumble came from the beast, gentle and kind, the kind of sound he’d heard Peter make before. A long time ago.

He slowly approached the beast. Taking a deep breath as he charged the energies around him and let them flow naturally from his body. He tried to reach out from a distance first, trying to push his powers a little to establish a connection from a safe distance. But his powers fizzled out before he fully established said connection. He got close once or twice, could feel Peter’s energy and mind reach out to him in return, and felt the wisps of their energies brush against one another. Never making full contact to establish the connection.

He let out a soft sigh and slowly relaxed his shoulders once he realized this wasn’t going to work. The beast let out a soft yip in encouragement. The sound of it took him off guard for a hot minute. It also gave him the courage to reach out and place his hand against the mountain ash barrier near the beast's muzzle and push through it.

The second his hand touched the soft snout he felt the connection between them snap into place. The tunnels within their mind fitting together seamlessly. The energy spiked through him as he looked into red eyes, a smile on his lips as the first thoughts filtered in.

_My Noah. My little druid._

_Peter, my menace._ He sent a soothing healing pulse through his touch to ease the strained muscles and the scars on the giant body.

_I missed your sassy ass so much._ The beast gently nudged his hand and let out a pleased growl.

He smirked at the Alpha in return and raised a silent eyebrow.  _Just my ass? I feel almost insulted, I thought you really loved me._

If a transformed werewolf could laugh, he was sure he was hearing it right then and there. For the Alpha was grinning at him with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.  _You know I do, you and Chris mean everything to me._ The wolf looked down at the circle of mountain ash, then looked back at him. _Are you going to let me out?_

He searched the wolf’s mind for a moment or two. Finding mostly clarity and a sense of calm at the surface, yet there was a wave of raging anger and need for revenge lurking underneath it all. Still, so far Peter seemed to have a grip on it.  _You’re good?_

The wolf nodded slowly, sending reassurance back through their connection.  _I’m good. I want to see Chris, Derek, and the kids._

He made a judgment call. Stepping back and breaking his connection with Peter as he took the flask back out and waved a hand to gather the mountain ash back into it. A few tense seconds passed where he stared the wolf down. Wondering if he made the right call.

He quickly received his answer when the giant mutated wolf grinned down at him and bounced over, effectively running him over in enthusiasm. He was then rewarded for his trouble by a very thorough and enthusiastic lick across his face. Dousing him in saliva. He looked up at the wolf in dismay, feeling quite disgusted by his unexpected bath, and scowled. “Thank you, Peter…”

An amused yip was all he got in return. He tried to push the werewolf off him, putting some real muscle into it. He quickly found that it wasn’t much use and that the werewolf had laid down on top of him, his head resting on Noah’s sternum and most of his chest. Little puffs of breath tickling his cheek while the wolf just used his little moment of freedom to cuddle up.

He was a bit torn between yelling at the wolf or just, letting the wolf enjoy his cuddle moment. Sooner rather than later Peter would want to see the others anyway.

In the end, he surrendered to the wolf and sighed softly, just petting the giant head gently while the mutated giant gently rumbled his pleasure. After a few minutes, the wolf had enough and rose, gently helping him back on his feet.

“Judging by that face…” He paused, raising an eyebrow at the way the wolf grinned at him, “You rather enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

Peter cocked his head to the left, the redness in his eyes had faded slightly into a more natural red, and there was a certain air about him that said;  _I would have enjoyed it more if Chris was there alongside you._

“Hmm-hmm,” He hummed shaking his head, “Let’s go introduce you before you get more ideas.” 

Noah opened the garage door and stepped through, feeling the eyes of the others on him as he walked up to them. He spotted a large black timber wolf, Derek, his brain supplied, in Jackson’s lap. And the familiar form of his little Malia, a grey and tan eastern European wolf. If he had to age her wolf, he estimates she was around 9 months old, not quite an adult yet, but also not quite a puppy anymore.

He felt everyone’s eyes look at the wolf behind him and he figured the best course of action was just to stay relaxed and keep everyone calm. He let his magic reach out, soothing and warm. And although Chris, Malia, and Stiles seemed to catch on. Neither Chris nor Stiles called him out on it. If anything Chris seemed to be using his magic to calm his nerves.

Malia was the first to approach them as Peter stepped into the light and revealed his mutated form. He noticed Chris shifting uncomfortably, unconsciously holding a tiny little tan wolf pup closer to him. Allison scooted closer to Jackson and Derek slowly crawled off Jackson’s lap to block Peter’s direct sight to both of his cousins.

And although a part of him felt absolutely wrecked that Chris was afraid of Peter in this form, or at least nervous around him, the tiny little puppy also made him positively melt. It was a very confusing feeling.

Malia stopped a few steps away from him, carefully sniffing the air around Peter and himself. He reached out a hand and gently petted her soft fur as she stepped closer to him. Peter whined in response, lowering his head he gently nudged his nose against Malia’s and licked her muzzle once. The action itself enough to soothe the teenager. Resulting in an overly enthusiastic young wolf practically jumping onto her dad to pull at his ears and get him to play. Something Peter happily seemed to oblige in for a minute or two, letting Malia pull at his ears and nip at his heels while he playfully growled at her and nudged her from time to time.

If anything, it kept Malia entertained, caused Stiles to grin like a madman, and soothed the rest of the pack. Though Chris seemed to be having some trouble with keeping the wolf pup in his arms contained and quiet.

“And who’s this?” He slowly walked over and sat down next to the other Omega, holding out his hand for the pup to smell.

Chris relaxed once he was near, leaning into his side and letting his soothing magic run through him as he slowly unwrapped Ben from his blanket. 

“Our son.” The hunter answered softly.

Ben sniffed his hand, then yipped and laid his tiny paw on top of it. And for a moment the entire world around him melted away and simply didn’t matter anymore. Warmth coursed through him and a dopey smile spread over his face as he looked into the golden eyes of the pup. Anu that was adorable. He smiled up at Chris, who returned his smile and gently handed the tiny puppy to him. 

“Yes, he is, our darling boy.” He muttered softly as he carefully settled Ben into his arms and cuddled the pup to his chest. It earned him a few puppy breath filled licks in return.

“And what am I?” Stiles scoffed, “Chopped liver?”

“Adorable in your own right.” Chris quickly corrected, earning him a beaming smile from the teenager. Earning a chuckle from him, a few giggles from Allison, and an eye roll from Jackson.

“As if, he looks ridiculous.” The older teen muttered.

“At least his personality is a lot better than yours.” Allison bit back earning an absolute death glare from Jackson. Stiles just laughed at his brother’s annoyance.

“Jealousy’s not a good look on you, Jackson.” Chris chuckled, reaching out to pull Jackson closer. Though the teen pulled away with a pout and a glare. 

“Everything’s a good look on me.” Jackson bit back, his words cut off by Derek, who decided his cousin definitely need some wolf cuddles, and promptly dropped back into Jackson’s lap for some scratches. Jax sighed in defeat and scratched Derek’s ears. “Are they always this cuddly?”

“Only with the people they trust.” He helpfully supplied as Derek tapped a paw against Jackson’s cheek. The teenager had briefly stopped scratching to ask his question and that of course, just wouldn’t do.

Jax sighed and continued scratching the black wolf’s ears. “What an honor…”

The shit-eating grin that Stiles sported at that comment had him sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. “Don’t.”

Allison laughed at her brothers’ antics and Stiles gaped at him. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Yet.” He and Chris said simultaneously just as Ben yipped.

-

He smiled as Noah pressed a soft kiss to the top of Ben’s head and scratched the pup behind his ears. Scooting a little closer to the druid he laid his chin on Noah’s shoulder and leaned in, wrapping his arms around the other man. It was a bit of a bold move, one he almost immediately regretted. He was moving too fast, the druid would hate him. He’d come to town barely a week ago and-

Noah pressed their foreheads together with a gentle nudge and smiled, nuzzling their noses together. “You’re thinking too much-”

He heard Jackson groan, followed by a sharp gasp as Allison slapped her brother on the shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he could see Stiles smiling at them as he rested his chin on his hands, his elbows on his knees. 

Another nuzzle pulled him back to focus on Noah. “It’s been seventeen years, Chris… if this is too fast, then I don’t want to know what you consider slow.”

A chuckle escaped him and for a moment his eyes settled on Noah’s lips. He bit his lip, not knowing if Noah would want him to. Was it even the right time? What if he got things wrong? What if everything went to shit right after? What-

Noah’s lips touched his cheek and he was instantly pulled out of his downwards spiral. His cheeks coloring a bright red, heart hammering in his chest as his breath stopped for a second and a breathless “Oh…” escaped him. Oh, how he had missed those soft lips.

“Just oh?” Noah chuckled, though the look in his eyes betrayed a certain softness to his words.

“I-” He was interrupted by Peter’s giant form nudging him closer to the druid. One look up revealed a grinning werewolf looming over them as if he was a child trying to bring his toys together. 

“I think I’m not good at feeling feelings?” He sounded uncertain, even to himself, but apparently, it was the right thing to say as Noah and Peter shared a look that clearly said; no shit sherlock.

And a quick look around told him that the others, including Jackson judging by the way the teenager closed his eyes, seemed to share.

He focused back on Noah and Peter, smiling softly as he reached a hand out to both of their cheeks. A happy rumble came from Peter along with a gentle warmth from Noah. He bit his lip wondering if he could still make a move or if he’d effectively wasted it due to his own insecurities when another nudge from Peter and a happy squeal from Allison pulled him out of the mood entirely.

“Dad has a wiggle butt.” Allison laughed, pointing at a practically vibrating Peter. And sure enough, he noticed Peter’s entire lower body was wiggling along with a little stump where his tail was supposed to be.

Stiles joined his sister in laughter. His shoulders shaking as he leaned into Allison and giggled with her. “Wiggle wiggle…”

The two joined in another fit of giggles.

Jackson managed to hold out on his laughter for an impressive five seconds but eventually, the teen burst out laughing with his siblings.

Peter relished in the attention, naturally. And Noah had a look on his face and a sparkle in his eyes that clearly said; I am recording this for future generations. He did notice the sneaky outline of a phone in Noah’s free hand.

He merely sighed and looked up at the wiggling wolf with detached amusement. “Really?” 

He had to admit, it looked goddamn adorable. A soft lick on his cheek was his reward.

Noah laughed at the two of them, reaching up to press a kiss to Peter’s nose. The druid then leaned over and pressed another kiss to his cheek. A soft smile and a soft gaze was his response to Noah.

Malia decided that waiting around for her dad took too long and tackled Derek in retaliation. He could see the two of them roughhousing from the corner of his eye. To his credit, he only sighed as the two young wolves managed to break one of the kitchen chairs during their play. Most of that he contributed to Noah distracting him with another nuzzle. 

“Are you willfully trying to distract me from our daughter and our nephew destroying my kitchen?”

The little shit had the audacity to grin. “Is it working?”

It was. But he be damned if he ever admitted that. The glare he sent Noah in reply caused the druid to grin at him. “I’m not gonna dignify that with an answer, you little menace.”

“You just did.” Noah laughed.

Ben kept quiet and just snoozed in Noah’s arms for a while, though he pepped up when Peter sat down beside them and was currently trying to reach Peter’s ears to tug at them. Though the pup was far too small, Peter humored him after a while. Introducing himself to the pup with soft growls and a few licks before lowering his head enough for Ben to pull at his ears and yip and snap at him playfully.

The warm feeling that went through him at the sight of Peter and their pup was one he clearly shared with Noah, judging by the druid’s soft smile. Both of them just enjoyed the interaction of the Alpha and their youngest pup.

After a few moments, Noah set Ben down on the ground and let him explore for a bit. To the utter delight of three teenagers who immediately started engaging in an all-out battle for the pup’s attention. Not that Ben seemed to mind, he happily bounded from one sibling to the next and back. The pup ran over to Malia and Derek, introduced himself first to Malia and then to Derek, and ran back to his three human siblings, practically launching himself into Stiles’s arms which caused Stiles to collide into Allison and created a mini puppy pile while Jackson just smirked at them. Though the teen soon found himself buried beneath the forms of Malia and Derek when the two wolves joined in on the fun.

A chorus of groans followed. Warm laughter rose from Noah’s chest, who proudly held up his recording phone and kept snapping pictures of the ongoing shenanigans.

For a moment in time, everything seemed to fall into place. After almost two decades of pain and suffering, they finally had a slice of the life they always wanted. Their family together as a pack.

He felt Peter nudge at his shoulder. He reached up, running his hands through the short sparse black fur, and slowly pressed his forehead to the wolf’s. A soft smile on his lips as he pulled away after a few moments. The sparkle in Peter’s eyes telling him what he needed to know.

_He was loved._

Even if his brain couldn’t comprehend it. Even if everything in him told him that he shouldn’t chase that rabbit. He knew the truth. And he’d always known that.  **He loved them too.**

Noah’s hand wrapped around his own, their fingers threading together while the pups and Derek wrestled in the background. The druid leaned closer his eyes flicking down to look at Chris’s lips. He wanted to lean in as well but something in him still resisted, he held back but tilted his head forward to invite the druid closer. Noah’s forehead rested against his, their noses nuzzling. He felt Noah’s breath on his cheek. This was it. After seventeen years-

“Scott! Scott baby, listen to me!” Mel’s voice snapped everything back to reality. A deafening roar trembled through the house. “It’s okay Sweetheart.”

They pulled apart, Peter was up and near the stairs within three seconds, ready to protect the rest of the pack from the young wolf if necessary. The snapping and growling intensified, the door of Ben’s bedroom rattling in its hinges. But thankfully it held steady. 

He stood up and made his way over, checking back to make sure Ben was being watched by the rest of the pack. He relaxed once he spotted the pup in Jackson’s arms. He walked up the stairs with Noah by his side and laid a gentle hand on Mel’s shaking shoulder.

“Mel?”

Julio gently shook his head at them. The older hunter was quiet, reserved. 

His sister clearly wasn’t. She turned to him, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sent a glare in Peter’s direction. She was pissed. He couldn’t blame her. He gently squeezed her shoulder in comfort, startling a little as Mel launched herself into his arms and cried into his shoulder. He held his friend close, rubbing her back and stroking back her dark curls. “He’ll be okay, Mel. We’ll take care of him.”

She took a deep breath after her sobs died down, her face steeling itself into the familiar determined look. “I know. It’s just-”

“It’s hard seeing him like this.” He nodded, somewhat understanding her struggle as he thought back to Ben’s transformation. His cries of pain. He closed his eyes. “I may not understand all of it-”

“You understand enough, I know. Just tell me he’ll be in the pack. Tell me he won’t be alone.” Mel looked up at him hopefully.

“Never,” Noah answered before he could. The druid was currently placing his hands on the door, testing the mountain ash barrier and trying to send soothing energy through it to calm the newly turned wolf. It pulsed in the air and vibrated out. The hope was that it would calm Scott enough to join the pack tonight and integrate immediately.

“We won’t let that happen.” He agreed, giving Mel another quick hug. 

She stepped back then, held her head high, and nodded. Now that she’d gotten her conflicting emotions out, she braced herself and turned back towards the door. “Can you sense him?”

Noah nodded. “I can sense him sitting down on the other side of the door. I think the soothing energy is doing the trick. Though we need to find him an anchor.” The druid paused, then turned to Mel, “Would you like to try?”

She nodded. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Noah carefully turned the doorknob and broke the circle. Inch by inch the door opened. 

He and Julio took a few steps back as a precaution.

“Scott?” Melissa sounded a little unsure but also hopeful.

They could hear Scott scuffling and a low growl rose from the young man’s throat as the door was opened further. But despite his growling and the flash of his teeth, he didn’t try to attack them. Noah’s soothing energy seemed to work on him for now, radiating out and around the young wolf.

“Hey Sweetheart, it’s me, It’s mama.” She stepped forward, very slowly approaching Scott while Noah backed her up. She reached out, freezing when Scott snarled at her and snapped. 

She held her ground, straightened her back, and held one finger up. “Don’t you snap at me mister or I will ground you for another thirty years. You hear me?”

If his heart hadn’t been hammering in his chest from anticipation, he would’ve laughed. Because the image of a tiny woman of 5’6 wagging her finger at her newly turned werewolf son while threatening to ground him was hilarious in its own right. The fact that it, along with some soothing magic on Noah’s part, seemed to be working was even funnier to him.

Scott hesitated at those words. A frown slowly taking over as his animalistic side calmed down further. “Mom?”

He took a quick peek inside Ben’s room, finding the radiator, Ben’s closet, and Ben’s bed destroyed. He made a mental note to send Peter the bill later. He was the reason for Scott’s current predicament and thus for Ben’s destroyed bedroom. It also meant he had to find an alternative for Ben to sleep for the weekend. But they’d cross that bridge when they needed to.

For now, Scott was their priority.

Melissa smiled sadly and nodded, trying her best to stay calm and collected as she slowly approached Scott and wrapped her arms around him. Scott, thankfully, allowed her, which was a step in the right direction. Though none of them missed the suppressed growl the young wolf let out.

“It’s okay sweetheart,” Mel whispered.

“Why do I feel so angry?” Scott bit out, pulling his mother closer while he tried to focus on his breathing. He seemed to relax a little when Noah placed a hand on his forehead and smiled gratefully. 

“Thanks, sheriff.”

“You’re welcome.” Noah’s voice sounded strained and by the drooping of his eyes and shoulders, he could tell the constant waves of magic were asking a lot of him. They needed to find Scott an anchor or rechain him. Quickly.

Melissa had picked up on it as well, closing her eyes briefly before stepping back to cradle Scott’s face in her hands. “Scott sweetie. We have a few options here. Noah’s getting tired and he won’t be able to sate the wolf for very long. So listen to me. It’s the wolf, it wants blood, it wants to kill. We can knock it out or you’ll have to find your anchor and find it quickly. Find someone or something you can focus on to keep the wolf distracted.”

“How?” Scott looked nervous and terrified as Melissa and Noah stepped back, closing his eyes as Noah’s magic fizzled out and the druid stumbled back. He caught his mate, making sure to support him as he recharged. He was clearly getting better and more practiced with his magic use, but prolonged periods of time still drained him. And trying to calm a teenage werewolf, well, that clearly took a lot out of him.

“Focus Scott,” He kept his gaze fixated on the trembling teenager, his free hand curling around his gun instinctively.

Scott’s nostrils flared and another growl rose, but he didn’t attack. And after a few moments his shoulders dropped, his breathing evened out and he met their eyes with a slight nod. He still seemed a little tense and he did growl at Julio and Chris himself when he walked past them. But he was clearly much calmer and trying very hard to keep himself contained.

“I think he’s found someone,” Melissa muttered, though she didn’t try to press the matter further.

They followed Scott down, briefly watching how Peter and Scott worked things out in a staring match. Which ended with Scott softly whining as he looked at the floor. It was enough for Peter, who let the young wolf pass to meet the rest. In a way, that was Scott’s introduction, and for now, it seemed to be enough as Derek and Malia cornered their half shifted packmate and started roughhousing with him after the obligatory sniffing and rubbing.

Scott seemed especially shy around Jackson and Allison, something that was rather interesting to watch if he were honest. He didn’t seem to have that problem with Stiles or Malia, who he just tackled with half-feral growls and roughhoused with until either Peter or Derek set him straight with a snarl. He also seemed incredibly unsure around Ben and extraordinarily careful. Something the little pup exploited to the fullest once he figured out he could tackle Scott or trip him up without repercussion from the older wolf. The other wolves were much too enthralled with the little pup to really correct him for the behavior.

He gently guided Noah to the couch and helped the druid to sit down, even tucking him in with the Phineas and Ferb fleece blanket. Much to the druid’s amusement.

“Really Chris?”

“Shhh, just enjoy it.” He fixed the druid a quick cup of coffee to get his energy back up and gently handed it over.

A quick kind act that had Noah smiling softly into said cup. He took a sip, sighed, and then drew him in close. Gently capturing his lips with his own in a soft sweet kiss that left him far more breathless than any passionate kiss ever had. He stared at the druid in wonder and shock, cocking his head as his brow furrowed. “It’s just coffee?”

Noah smiled and pulled him close so he could cuddle against Chris. “Exactly. It’s not the size of the gesture, it’s the mindset behind it. I know what this is, what it means to you to get to take care of those you care about.”

He felt his heart skip a beat as warmth surged through him. He grinned and pressed a soft kiss on Noah’s lips in return. “Thank you.”

Noah rested his forehead against his own in response and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Just letting feelings mingle and his energy charge the druid’s depleted source. Soft glowing purple eyes were his reward.

He nuzzled his nose against the druid’s just enjoying the little moment of softness and affection. Though there was a nagging feeling in his gut trying to tell him that this wouldn’t last. It was just because the druid was tired, the stress of the moon. The chaos of the last few days. Surely he couldn’t actually still care for him.

But then Noah grinned at him and gently stroked his cheek and his worries melted away for another short moment. Did it really matter what his gut told him? In that moment, he couldn’t say for sure, but he was inclined to disagree. Noah did care for him. And he knew Peter did too.

He leaned in once more but was thwarted before he could press their lips together again. This time by an overly affectionate Alpha werewolf, who unceremoniously dropped himself across both of their laps, belly up and already half snoring. And who were they to deny their Alpha a good belly scratch when he asked it for. They smiled, shared a laugh, and found a moment of peace with the rest of their pack. At least for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough French translations in this chapter:
> 
> papa t'aime tellement - Daddy loves you so much (more or less)  
> ça va aller - It'll be okay.  
> papa est ici - Daddy is here
> 
> I wasn't too sure about some parts of this chapter and I hope they're not too distracting or redundant. I hope this chapter works and that it adds something to the story. I'm really worried about that. 
> 
> But I also wanted to do something light-hearted and fun after everything we've been through with these characters. And since the next chapter will explore the consequences of Peter missing from the hospital and all the fall out that comes with it, I figured we needed a breather. And that's why I added this chapter.
> 
> If you enjoyed it let me know in a comment, leave kudos, bookmarks, or recs, and if you loved it, consider sharing it with others. I hope I can bring some light to the darkness that was 2020. And that this chapter and its fluff, is foreboding for lighter times in 2021. Let's hope so.
> 
> I hope everyone is safe and healthy. And I hope that this story can continue in the new year. Let me know if you'd like to keep reading. <3  
> I love all of you and wish you all the best, Ben. <3
> 
> Let's heal together.

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think of the story so far? Let me know!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Come To Me Sweetly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27028645) by [The_Fannish_Imposition](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fannish_Imposition/pseuds/The_Fannish_Imposition)




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